Mining could push unemployment lower

November’s jobs report shows the U.S. economy added 203,000 jobs and unemployment dropped to seven percent, which is good news. But according to MarketWatch, “as many as one-fourth of the jobs created last month could reflect seasonal hiring that will dissipate after the holidays.”

Mining is one of the few industries on pace to consistently add jobs through 2020 — 11,000 to 13,000 jobs annually. Beyond that, mining is a jobs creator in the manufacturing and construction industries as well as many others. For every job in metals mining, an estimated 2.5 additional jobs are generated, and for every nonmetals mining job, an additional 1.8 jobs are created.

At the National Mining Association, we believe that any economic growth is good, but adding jobs to the economy that are sustainable, can support a family and provide diverse opportunities to areas without many options is the key to long-term recovery.

Take, for example, the mining town of Elko, Nev. Despite years of double-digit unemployment in the state, Elko is booming thanks to mining projects that supply the cutting-edge technologies that represent the future of American business and manufacturing.

With more efficient permitting, the minerals mining industry would be able to jump start new projects and put people back to work, creating more desperately needed “Elkos” around the country.