There have been plans for an Alcoa aluminium smelting plant either at Maniitsoq or Sisimiut for an extended period, at least since 2008, without progressing to construction.

[17] With 2,534 inhabitants as of 2020[update], Maniitsoq has experienced a decline in population over a long period of time.

[1] Migrants from the smaller settlements such as rapidly depopulating Kangaamiut choose to migrate to Sisimiut, the capital in Nuuk, and sometimes to Denmark, rather than Maniitsoq.

Kangerlussuaq and Sisimiut are the only settlement in the Qeqqata municipality exhibiting stable growth patterns over the last two decades.

[22][23][24][25] In support of the proposal, a study published in 2023,[26] used electron microscopy to examine zircon grains from seven sites, including the Maniitsoq structure.