Sable Gas Job Number Surges Past 2,500

The latest available figures show 2,584 people are working on the Sable Offshore Energy Project. More than half of those jobs -- 1,389 or 53.7 per cent -- are in Nova Scotia.

The figures, current as of Aug. 31, were compiled by the Sable Offshore Energy Project and released by the Nova Scotia Petroleum Directorate.

"Sable gas is fast becoming a surging economic force in Nova Scotia," said Premier Russell MacLellan, Minister responsible for the Petroleum Directorate. "We can expect more jobs for Nova Scotians as this project continues and as other developments take their place on the offshore."

Besides the 1,389 Nova Scotia-based jobs, 1,047 people are working on the project in other countries and another 148 are directly employed in other parts of Canada. The employment outside Nova Scotia is centred in the United Kingdom where part of the operational platform for the gas field is under construction. Others are working on engineering design at the partner companies headquarters in Canada and the United States.

"Nova Scotia expertise is growing and in the years to come we can expect more activity and employment to be based here at home," the premier said.