Most workers have jobs around large equipment which can be noisy. The mines in communities such as Yellowknife hire miners who work regular eight hour shifts year round except for holidays. Workers in the fly in fly out mines with camps work twelve hour shifts seven days a week and usually stay in camp two weeks then are flown out for two weeks off. Some mines have different lengths of time to stay in camp. Most jobs are year round permanent jobs.
All wages are very competitive.
There are operating mines in the Kitikmeot region, Baffin region, and North Slave region. Most mineral exploration field work is done between May and October. The number of people in a camp varies from as little as 2 in a prospecting camp to over 100 in an advanced exploration project. Diamond drilling and bulk sampling are usually done in winter. Workers live in tents and work out on the land.