Region’s employment numbers in good shape
Published: December 02, 2008 11:00 PM
THE ECONOMY may be shaky elsewhere but in the Northwest, at least for now, it’s not only holding but in some respects is better than last year.
Latest data from the federal government indicates 44,300 people were working on average from August to October in the area from the Queen Charlotte Islands to just west of Vanderhoof.
That’s 2,000 more than for the same period last year and most of the increase is in full-time employment – from 34,600 jobs in 2007 to 37,000 jobs now.
There was a decline in part-time jobs, from 7,700 on average from August to October 2007 to 7,400 for the same three months of this year.
The participation rate, defined as the percentage of people over the age of 15 who are either working or looking for work, also rose.
For the Aug-Oct 2007 period it was 69 per cent and this year it is 73.2 per cent.
Most of the employment increase comes in the natural and applied science sectors which includes jobs such as geologists and engineers.
There was a slight increase in the unemployment rate from 7.3 per cent for August to October 2007 to 7.7 per cent this August to October, representing 3,700 people this year compared to 3,300 people last year.
But that’s attributed to more people listing themselves as looking for work in what is now a more active labour market, says Terrace-based federal labour analyst Patrick McIntyre.
“The number of unemployed in the Northwest has remained fairly constant since the beginning of 2007,” he said.
“The high participation rate is a definite sign of an active labour market.”
The student employment picture was also brighter in 2008 compared to 2007 or 2006.
Statistics indicate 12,995 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 were working this summer, the best year since 15,100 did so in 2005.
That also boosted the employment rate for students, defined as the number of employed students in relation to the size of population.
The employment rate this year was 72.4 per cent, the second highest in five years. It was only 52.4 per cent in 2004.
“For the month of August, the number of 15-24 year olds employed in the service sector went up by 2.9 thousand compared to last year; 1.6-thousand of those were part-time,” says McIntyre.
“Overall, employment in accommodations and food services was strong this summer compared to the previous two years.”
Overall, this year’s employment picture appears brighter than in earlier parts of the decade as well. In 2006 there were 42,400 people employed, about the same as in 2007 but less than this year’s August to October average of 44,300.
In October 2005 there were 47,600 people employed and in October 2004 there were 43,100.
Those same years also registered a decline in the regional population from as many as 69,400 people in October 2004 to 65,600 this year.
