The impact of natural resources upon labor markets is one of the main channels through which natural resources affect society. Increased demand for resources leads to increased labor demand for those who directly work in resource extraction, as well as for those who indirectly work in other local industries related to extraction. These labor market impacts can be seen in employment, including changes to the composition of the workforce with respect to education, gender, migration, and immigration, as well as in earnings and the distribution of those earnings, especially with regards to impoverished individuals at the lower end of the distribution.
In his SSHRC-funded research project, Professor Marchand proposes to synthesize the existing literature on this subject and conduct a meta-analysis of previously published evidence. The study will greatly improve our understanding of the labor market impacts of natural resources. In addition, the meta-analysis will make it possible to generalize the results provided in the literature and will serve as an important resource for academics and policy makers.
The research funded by Professor Marchand's SSHRC award builds upon his works, "Local Labor Market Impacts of Energy Boom-Bust-Boom in Western Canada," published in the Journal of Urban Economics in 2012, and "The Distributional Impacts of an Energy Boom in Western Canada," published in the Canadian Journal of Economics in 2015, as well as his work "The Labor Market and School Finance Effects of the Texas Shale Boom on Teacher Quality and Student Achievement" with Jeremy Weber at the University of Pittsburgh, who will also serve as a collaborator on this initiative.