According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (USBLS), the number of jobs available in Basic Industries is 24,504,000 as of 2022. Moreover, a 2.7% rise is anticipated in this figure in the next 8 years.
The enormous number of jobs available in Basic Industries is because Basic Industries is a large field, consisting of individual industries that have one thing in common which is the fact that the goods that they produce are used as raw materials in other industries to be converted into end products or commodities.
Now that we know the exact data on the number of jobs available in the basic industries, let us dig deeper into understanding the basic industries, their types, and the actual jobs in the basic industries.
What are Basic Industries?
Basic industries are the industries that are involved in the finding or development, extraction, processing, and distribution of raw materials for other manufacturing industries. Basic industries are at the base of a strong economy since this is where the cycle of production begins.
Types of Basic Industries and Jobs available.
The most common categories of basic industries are as follows:
1. Agricultural Industry
Agricultural Industry is a major industry in almost all the nations of the world and is the primary source of all raw materials. Farmlands produce and harvest agricultural crops, vegetables, meat, dairy products, and other raw materials which are then delivered to the non-agricultural industries of the economy. Moreover, commercial agriculture is intended for exporting rather than consumption.
Jobs available in Agriculture Industry
- Farmer
- Agronomist
- Animal Scientist
- Agricultural Economist
- Horticulturalist
- Farm manager
- Soil Scientist
2. Forestry Industry
The forestry industry is another important industry in a country’s economy. Forests have an intrinsic value in themselves, and they also help to regulate the ecosystem and the climate cycle. However, their role as a basic industry is equally vital since many raw materials like timber, medicinal plants, fuelwood, etc. are obtained from forests. The jobs in the forestry sector are found in the planting and management of forests and the harvesting and distribution of raw materials.
Jobs available in Forestry Industry
- Forest Manager or Silviculturists
- Project manager
- Logger
- Environmental Safety Officer
- Equipment operators (handheld and heavy)
- Truck drivers
3. Oil and Gas Industry
The Oil and Gas Industry needs no introduction since it has been the basis of the industrialization that started in the 19th century and has led to this advanced economy that we live in. The raw materials of the Oil and Gas Industry, which are petroleum products, natural gases, etc. are important in almost all other manufacturing industries. The Oil and Gas Industry functions on three levels- Upstream, mid-stream and down-stream, and thus, jobs available are available at several companies working on each level. Companies at the Upstream level are responsible for locating, extracting, or producing oil or gas. Companies at the Mid-stream level are responsible for transporting and storing. Companies in the Down-stream level are responsible for refining the oils and gases to be converted into usable raw materials like gasoline, petrol, diesel, etc.
Jobs available in the Oil and Gas Industry
- Drilling Engineer
- Geologist
- Mining Engineer
- Miners
- Rig Operator
- Pipeline Technicians
- Mechanic
4. Paper and Pulp Industry
Although the paper and pulp industry uses forest-based products as raw materials from the forestry industry, the goods that they produce like different types of paper, paperboards, pulp, etc. are used in many other industries for several purposes like publication, packaging, cleaning, tissues, etc.
Jobs available in the Paper and Pulp Industry
- Chemists
- Chemical and Mechanical Engineers
- Electrical Engineers
- Laboratory Technicians
- Machine Operators
- Administrative and Accounting Jobs
5. Steel Industry
Steel is quite literally one of the backbones of a country’s infrastructure and economy and thus, it is a critical basic industry. An alloy of carbon and steel, the making of steel in factories and mills is a very specialized task that requires both experts and manpower.
Jobs Available in the Steel Industry
- Metal Engineers
- Metal Fabricator
- Steel Worker
- Machine Operators
- Computer Specialists
- Environmental Engineers
- Production Line workers and supervisors
- Machine and Vehicle Operators
6. Chemical Industry
The conversion of raw materials into gases or chemicals that are used in other industries is the major theme of the chemical industry. The chemicals include speciality chemicals such as dyes, paints, pesticides and consumer chemicals like soaps, detergents and bleaching powder.
Jobs Available in the Chemical Industry
- Chemical engineer
- Laboratory technician
- Chemical Plant Operator
- Environmental Engineer
- Hazardous waste material Handler
- Analytical Chemist
- Researcher
High-Paying Jobs in the Basic Industries
Some of the high-paying jobs in the Basic Industries are:
- Material Scientists ($83,000/year): Material Scientists understand the physical and chemical characteristics of artificial as well as natural materials. Materials scientists work in labs where they study, analyze and innovate materials to be used as raw materials.
- Geoscientist ($92,000/year): Geoscientists are highly qualified and are responsible for analysing the geography of a location for discovery, evaluation, or assessment. Since all basic industries involve generating raw materials from the earth, geoscientists are in high demand and have a good remuneration.
- Food Technologist ($62,000/year): They process the raw materials from the agriculture industry into nutritional and safe food through research, development and testing in labs.
- Civil Engineers ($78,000/year): Civil engineers are in demand across all of the basic industries for the construction of infrastructure at all levels of the industry.
Entry Level Jobs in the Basic Industries
Getting a job in Basic industries is easy even if you don’t have the academics and experience. There are even some entry-level jobs that require you to learn a skill and you will be paid a good salary as well.
- Logger($68,000/year): Loggers are responsible for felling trees, logging them, skidding, loading into trucks and transporting. A good physique will be a plus point for this job, but machines and equipment have made the job of loggers very ergonomic compared to the past.
- Miner($44,000/year): Miner works both inside the mines for digging and cutting caves as well as outside the mines. Mining can be a challenging and risky job, which is one of the reasons why it is rather easy for someone to be a miner if they are interested and ready for the job.
- Metal Fabricator($32,000/year): People who cut metals into the required shapes are called metal fabricators. You can become a metal fabricator if you have a steady hand, good eyesight and some training of the equipment and the metals.
- Farm Workers ($25,000/year): Farm workers is one of the easiest to get jobs in the basic industries. Since large scale farms are far from cities and settlements, they are in constant need of workers on the farm.
CONCLUSION
With three fourth of the nation’s workforce employed, the opportunity for employment is endless. Each of the category of industries under basic industries need all types of manpower to function properly. So it should not be a question of how many jobs are available in the basic industries but what job in the basic industries is the best for you. Since we have now established many of the major jobs titles on each of the basic industries, you can now work towards the one that suits you the best.
