Unlike other resource industries, contract employment is commonly used in the natural gas industry. Workers in the natural gas industry are more often hired as contractors or are self-employed.

The country’s major natural gas companies generally:

• Hire their own staff for core functions (e.g. management, business and operations support, processing, and refining).
• But rely more heavily on contracting for specialized service and equipment (e.g. surveying, engineering, drilling, site services, maintenance services, transportation, electrical, instrumentation,equipment rental and servicing, camp and food services, environmental reclamationetc.).

Individuals and entrepreneurs who want to operate their own business as part of the service industry that directly and indirectly supports the natural gas industry may find excellent opportunities. Take a moment and think about who and how all of these people working directly in the natural gas industry are going to be supported:

• Where do they live during construction of major facilities?
• Who will feed them?
• Where do they and their families live once these various facilities are built?
• Where will they shop? How will all of these goods get to where these people will live and work?
• Where and who will supply the myriad of professional support services they will be looking for like medical, dental, accounting, etc.?
• What about schools, hospitals, theatres, retail stores, laundry facilities, recreational centres, vehicle repair and service, landscape services, etc.?