Take that, Justin Transition..Contrary to assertions by Ottawa that oil patch jobs need to be ‘transitioned,’ the Canadian Energy Centre on Thursday told policy makers something they should already know: Canada’s upstream oil and gas sector pays some of the highest wages of any economic sector in the country..Wages and salaries in the oil and gas extraction sector equalled nearly $13.8 billion in 2022, surpassing the previous peak of $12.8 billion in 2014, and 5.8% higher than the previous year, CEC said in its latest fact sheet..Between 2000 and 2022, cumulative wages and salaries paid in Canada’s oil and gas extraction sector were more than $212.8 billion, it added..At $214,935 per job in 2022, total compensation paid to workers in the oil and gas extraction sector was significantly higher than other key industries in Canada, including mining, electric power generation, metal manufacturing and financial services, among others..“The oil and gas extraction sector in Canada is a strong performer when it comes to providing exceptionally good compensation to the labour it employs,” it concluded..For the purposes of the research, the CEC defines ‘oil and gas extraction’ as establishments engaged primarily in operating oil and gas field properties. .That includes the production and extraction of oil from oil shale and oil sands, but does not include support activities, which also include admin, IT, finance, telecommunications and even manufacturing.
