Chetwynd is central to some principal resource industries – sawmills and logging, coal mines, and oil and gas. These industries provide good-paying jobs, but periodic shut-downs can lead to some uncertainty. The main industry of logging and forestry keeps the community moving forward and maintains the original population, keeping them well employed. Outside of the mainstay population there is quite a large number of transient workers who come in from all over the province, the country and abroad. Most of these workers reside in the community to work for a week or a few weeks at a time and then return to homes in other regions for their time off, so it can be difficult for local businesses to attract workers from the community, as they are unable to compete with the wages in the resource industry. Several small businesses have come into the community due to an increased economy, but many businesses have brought in Temporary Foreign Workers because the increase of high paying positions has decreased the service worker pool from within Chetwynd. This is a very popular trend in the Peace area, as it allows for bigger brand food services to be offered within smaller communities.
The community’s high school is close to the recreation centre and the community library, but the high number of youth moving to larger centres, such as Fort St. John, has created financial challenges for schools, limiting course offerings. The local campus of the region’s college is closely situated to the child care centre,
