1 Economic Base Analysis
1.3 Labour Force Profile
1.3.2 Labour Force by Industry
To develop a more detailed understanding of local labour force trends, it is important to examine employment by industrial classification across the County. The composition of the resident labour force has remained relatively stable from 2001 to 2012. As shown in Figure 17 the industries with the highest proportion of the county's overall labour force in 2012 are:
Manufacturing (20.1%)
Retail trade (8.9%)
Health care and social assistance (8.7%)
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (8.4%)Manufacturing’s share of employment moved from 19.7% of the total labour force in 2006, to an estimated 20.1% in 2012. This shows a steady increase in the number of residents employed in the manufacturing sector. This is surprising, given the decline of the manufacturing industry throughout Ontario that has been occurring over the last several decades. This is likely a result of increased investment in Wellington and
surrounding communities (such as the Canadian Solar investments in Guelph or continuing expansions at companies like TG Minto in the County and Linamar in Guelph), and speaks to the employability of Wellington’s resident labour force. Retail trade increased to 8.8% of total labour force in 2012 (from 8.7% in 2006), while health care and social assistance increased to over 8.6% of the total labour force in 2012 (up from 8.4% in 2006). Both of these industries are considered population- related, and have likely increased as services expand in Wellington and surrounding areas to meet rapid population growth in the GTA and GGH. Agriculture also saw an increase in its share of the total workforce from 8.1% in 2006 to 8.4% in 2012, which speaks to the continuing relevance and significance of agriculture and related industries in the county (e.g. animal production, agricultural support services).
FIGURE 18: LABOUR FORCE BY INDUSTRY, WELLINGTON COUNTY, 2001, 2006 AND 2012
Industries (NAICS) 2012 % of Total 2006 % of Total 2001 % of Total Total - All Industries 52,108 100% 47805 100% 44250 100% Agriculture, forestry, fishing and
hunting 4,379 8.4% 3910 8.2% 4120 9.3%
Mining and oil and gas extraction 152 0.3% 135 0.3% 65 0.2%
Utilities 247 0.5% 295 0.6% 235 0.5%
Construction 3,996 7.7% 3,705 7.8% 3,400 7.7%
Manufacturing 10,474 20.1% 9,420 19.7% 9,210 20.8%
Wholesale trade 2,678 5.1% 2,520 5.3% 2,425 5.5%
Retail trade 4,626 8.9% 4,185 8.8% 4,120 9.3%
Transportation and warehousing 2,685 5.2% 2,345 4.9% 2,310 5.2%
Information and cultural industries 786 1.5% 670 1.4% 510 1.2%
Finance and insurance 1,363 2.6% 1,375 2.9% 1,155 2.6%
Real estate and rental and leasing 824 1.6% 685 1.4% 455 1.0%
Professional, scientific and technical
services 2,896 5.6% 2,695 5.6% 2,320 5.2%
Mgmt. of companies and enterprises 63 0.1% 105 0.2% 95 0.2%
Admin. and support, waste mgmt.
and remediation services 1,966 3.8% 1,790 3.7% 1,260 2.9% Educational services 3,080 5.9% 2,825 5.9% 2,595 5.9%
Health care and social assistance 4,518 8.7% 4,035 8.4% 3,285 7.4%
Arts, entertainment and recreation 877 1.7% 885 1.9% 855 1.9%
Accommodation and food services 2,433 4.7% 2,240 4.7% 2,095 4.7%
Other services (except public
administration) 2,627 5.0% 2,585 5.4% 2,320 5.2% Public administration 1,438 2.8% 1,395 2.9% 1,420 3.2%
Over the last decade, the manufacturing (1,264) and health care and social assistance (1,233) sectors exhibited the largest absolute increase in labour force to 2012.
However, when looking at percentage growth, the largest increases in resident labour force were accounted for in mining and oil and gas extraction (57.2%), administrative and support, waste management and remediation services (35.9%), and information and cultural industries (35.1%). It should be noted, however, that the actual number of workers is still relatively low in each of these sectors. Rapid growth in these smaller sectors could be tied to factors like increased aggregate extraction activity in the region, as well as increasing activity in the environmental sector and increasing activity in the area’s cultural and tourism-related industries.
Over the last five years, the largest increase in resident labour force was experienced in real estate and rental and leasing (16.8%) and information and cultural industries which increased (14.7%). These industries employ many workers in the knowledge- based economy and represent a shift away from Wellington County's agricultural and manufacturing base towards the creative economy. There was also growth in resident labour force related to the arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodations and food services sectors of the economy as well – both of which have positive
implications on the tourism sector in the County (in addition to retail trade growth noted above).
FIGURE 19: LABOUR FORCE GROWTH BY INDUSTRY, WELLINGTON COUNTY, 2001-2012
Industry (NAICS) 2001-2012 2006-2012
Total - All Industries 15.1% 8.3%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 5.9% 10.7%
Mining and oil and gas extraction 57.2% 11.2%
Utilities 4.9% -19.4%
Construction 14.9% 7.3%
Manufacturing 12.1% 10.1%
Wholesale trade 9.5% 5.9%
Retail trade 10.9% 9.5%
Transportation and warehousing 14.0% 12.7%
Information and cultural industries 35.1% 14.8%
Finance and insurance 15.3% -0.9%
Real estate and rental and leasing 27.1% 16.9%
Professional, scientific and technical services 19.9% 6.9%
Management of companies and enterprises -50.8% -66.7%
Admin. and support, waste mgmt. and remediation services 35.9% 9.0%
Educational services 15.8% 8.3%
Health care and social assistance 27.3% 10.7%
Arts, entertainment and recreation 2.5% -0.9%
Accommodation and food services 13.9% 7.9%
Other services (except public administration) 11.7% 1.6%
Public administration 1.3% 3.0%
Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population: 2001, 2006; Manifold Data Mining: 2012
1.3.3 Labour Force by Occupation
A useful supplement to the industrial composition of Wellington County’s labour force is its occupational composition. By looking at the occupational composition of the
resident labour force, a more detailed understanding of the specific competencies and skills of the individuals living in the County can be built. Figure 19 illustrates the concentration of labour force by occupational category in Wellington County for 2001, 2006 and 2012. The occupations that held the highest shares of labour force in 2006 and 2012 (estimated) were:
Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (19.0% in 2006, 19.3% in 2012)
Sales and service occupations (18.8% in 2006, 19.0% in 2012)
Business, finance and administration occupations (15.2% in 2006, 15.4% in 2012)
Management occupations (9.8% in 2006, 9.7% in 2012)These four occupational categories also held the highest shares of labour force across the broader Kitchener-Waterloo-Barrie economic region, as well as across the
Province of Ontario in 2006. Each of these occupations make up a large portion of the occupations involved in the manufacturing, agricultural and retail sectors, which supports the findings of the labour force growth by industry.
FIGURE 20: COMPARATIVE LABOUR FORCE BY OCCUPATION, 2001, 2006 AND 2012
Occupations (NOC) 2012 % of Total 2006 % of Total 2001 % of Total All occupations 52,128 100.0% 47,805 100.0% 44,250 100.0% Management occupations 5,067 9.7% 4,705 9.8% 4,615 10.4%
Business, finance and
administration occupations 8,016 15.4% 7,245 15.2% 6,340 14.3% Natural and applied sciences
and related occupations 2,184 4.2% 2,025 4.2% 1,965 4.4% Health occupations 2,776 5.3% 2,480 5.2% 2,005 4.5%
Occupations in social science, education, government service and religion
3,288 6.3% 3,110 6.5% 2,410 5.4%
Occupations in art, culture,
recreation and sport 1,286 2.5% 1,270 2.7% 1,065 2.4% Sales and service occupations 9,891 19.0% 9,145 19.1% 8,325 18.8%
Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations
10,043 19.3% 9,090 19.0% 8,565 19.4%
Occupations unique to primary
industry 4,656 8.9% 4,205 8.8% 4,585 10.4% Occupations unique to
processing, manufacturing and utilities
4,919 9.4% 4,540 9.5% 4,365 9.9%
Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population: 2001, 2006; Manifold Data Mining: 2012
Figure 19 outlines the growth of resident labour force by occupation. Between 2001 and 2012, health occupations (38.5%), occupations in social science, education, government service and religion (36.4%), and business, finance, and administration occupations (26.4%) exhibited the fastest growth. In terms of absolute growth,
business, finance, and administration (1,676), sales and services occupations (1,566), and trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (1,478) led growth from 2001 to 2012.
Figure 20 below highlights the rates of growth of each of the occupational
classifications since 2006. The fastest growing occupational classifications by resident labour force were:
Health occupations (11.93%)
Occupations unique to primary industry (10.72%)
Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (10.48%)
Occupations unique to processing, manufacturing and utilities (8.34%) The growth rates show the continued importance of both the manufacturing and agricultural sector along with the emergence of occupations related to health care and management. Local investments in the health care infrastructure of Wellington County have developed a strong health care infrastructure. The development of Groves Memorial Hospital as a new state of the art facility, slated to open in 2017-2018, should continue to generate growth in the health care field in the County, as services expand to meet the growing population.Overall, labour force in all occupational categories showed strong growth over the last decade. This growth trend indicates a healthy diversity in the labour force composition of Wellington County's residents by occupational skills.
FIGURE 21: LABOUR FORCE GROWTH BY OCCUPATION, WELLINGTON COUNTY, 2001-2012
Occupations (NOC) 2001-2012 2006-2012
All occupations 17.8% 9.0%
Management occupations 9.8% 7.7%
Business, finance and administration occupations 26.4% 10.6%
Natural and applied sciences and related occupations 11.1% 7.9%
Health occupations 38.5% 11.9%
Occupations in social science, education, government
service and religion 36.4% 7.4%
Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport 20.8% 1.3%
Sales and service occupations 18.8% 8.2%
Trades, transport and equipment operators and related
occupations 17.3% 10.5%
Occupations unique to primary industry 1.5% 10.7%
Occupations unique to processing, manufacturing and
utilities 12.7% 8.3%
Source: Statistics Canada, Census of Population: 2001, 2006; Manifold Data Mining: 2012