Gains in Port Related employment across Northern British Columbia highlighted in recent study

The Terminals may be located on the North Coast, but the findings of a recent study by the Prince Rupert Port Authority highlight the impact that Port operations are having across Northern British Columbia.

The Port released some background information on Monday, highlighting their findings regarding the gains in employment related to Port operations in the province.

A report that observes that some 1,600 jobs have been created through port related activity since 2009,  with 800 of those jobs created in the last three years alone.

The study outlines that the estimated number of total permanent full time jobs is at 3,060, with that employment providing for combined wages of 200 million dollars and highlights an increase of employment of 110 per cent over the last five years.

Indirect employment, those jobs or services that supply port-related companies reached to over 6,000.

57 per cent of all Port related employment are found in Prince Rupert and Port Edward, while the remaining 43 percent of the jobs are distributed across Northern British Columbia, highlighting the nature of the Port as an economic engine for the northern half of the province.

“Prince Rupert may be the gateway for goods and Canadian commodities, but its significant economic impact is not restricted to any one community.” -- Don Krusel, President and CEO of the Prince Rupert Port Authority.

The report also outlines that since 2011, the average wage rose by $4,000 for jobs in occupations that involve rail, trucking, terminal operations and stevedoring, as well as marine and other direct port activities, with $64,000 dollars listed as the median wage for those industries.

As well, the study reviewed the financial benefits that the Prince Rupert Port Authority delivers to various levels of government Federal, provincial and municipal.

More than 5 billion dollars in goods and commodities pass through the Port of Prince Rupert each year, with the Port anticipating an even more promising future in the years to come.

Something that will have far reaching impact on communities across Northern British Columbia, stretching from the North Coast into the Peace region.

You can review more information on the Economic Impact study from this background item from the Prince Rupert Port Authority.

The full report is available from this link on the Port website

For more information on developments with the Port, see our archive page here.