1. Building a 21st Century Workforce Learning Summit June 19, 2017
Workforce Development Conditions & Trends in the Basin-Boundary Region
Building a 21st Century Workforce Learning Summit
June 19, 2017
Dr. Terri MacDonald
Regional Innovation Chair in Rural Economic Development
Selkirk College

2. Agenda What the labour force data tells us What the BRE data tells us
Key Considerations Moving Forward

3. The Columbia Basin Rural Development Institute
Support collaborative learning and evidence-based decision-making through the provision of information, applied research and related outreach and extension
UNDERSTAND • CONNECT • MOBILIZE

5. Demographics

6. The rural population for 1981 to 2011 refers to persons living outside centres with a population of 1,000 AND outside areas with 400 persons per square kilometre. Previous to 1981, the definitions differed slightly but consistently referred to populations outside centres of 1,000 population.

8. Demographics 10 year job openings by educational requirements
Source: BC 2025 Labour Market Outlook

10. Employment rate (%) for BC and by Development Region, 2010 to 2015
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
5 Year Change
( )
1 Year Change
( )
British Columbia
60.7
60.2
60.4
59.8
59.5
-2.0%
0.0%
Vancouver Island and Coast
59.4
56.0
55.8
56.1
54.2
54.6
-8.1%
0.7%
Lower Mainland - Southwest
61.2
61.3
61.4
60.6
60.8
-0.8%
-0.2%
Thompson - Okanagan
58.4
58.9
57.5
58.0
-2.4%
Kootenay
54.7
56.8
58.7
62.1
55.2
56.6
3.5%
2.5%
Cariboo
62.8
64.0
67.0
64.5
67.2
62.4
-0.6%
-7.1%
North Coast & Nechako
64.2
59.1
63.5
4.6%
8.2%
Northeast
72.0
71.8
75.9
74.0
70.1
71.9
-0.1%
2.6%
Employment rates for the province and the Development Regions shows the total employment rates for the province and the development regions from 2010 to 2015, including percent change for five years (2010 to 2015) and one year (2014 to 2015). Within the Columbia Basin-Boundary, the Cariboo has the highest employment rate (62.4%) and the only Development Region in the Columbia Basin-Boundary that was higher than the provincial average (59.5%) in Compared to the other Development Regions, the Cariboo has the third highest employment rate of the seven Development Regions, while the Thompson-Okanagan and Kootenay are fifth and sixth respectively.

11. Kootenay Development Region
Employment by sector (in thousands),
Kootenay Development Region
British Columbia
Sector
2010
2015
5 Year Change
Total, All Industries
68.1
69.0
1.32%
2223.0
2306.2
3.74%
Goods-producing sector
21.5
22.3
3.72%
436.6
459.1
5.15%
Agriculture
0.0 NA
29.7
22.2
-25.25%
Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil & gas
5.3
6.7
26.42%
41.7
48.3
15.83%
Utilities
12.2
14.5
18.85%
Construction
7.5
8.4
12%
198.4
201.5
1.56%
Manufacturing
6.9
-23.19%
154.6
172.5
11.58%
Services-producing sector
46.7
46.8
0.21%
1786.5
1847.2
3.4%
Trade
11.5
11.3
-1.74%
369.4
352.9
-4.47
Transportation & warehousing
2.5 0%
117.7
140.0
18.95%
Finance, insurance, real estate & leasing
2.1
2.6
23.81%
139.8
128.6
-8.01%
Professional, scientific & technical services
19.05%
163.1
188.1
15.33%
Business, building & other support services
3.7
1.7
-54.05%
95.4
93.5
-1.99%
Educational services
2.7
4.3
59.26%
152
163.4
7.5%
Health care & social assistance
8.1
9.2
13.58%
263.8
287.4
8.95%
Information, culture & recreation
2.3
-14.81%
112.1
114.5
2.14%
Accommodation & food services
6.1
-13.11%
172.4
177.5
2.96%
Other services
3.2
28% 96
105.1
9.48%
Public administration
2.0
-25.93%
104.7
96.1
-8.21%
The Labour Force Survey shows overall job growth in the Kootenay Development Region over 5 years (+1.32% or 900 people) (see Table 1). Overall, the Services-producing sector has more jobs across all BC Development Regions. In the Kootenay Development Region between 2010 and 2015, the Goods-producing sector experienced growth (+3.72%), while the Services-producing sector stayed very similar (0.21%). This is somewhat different from the province as a whole where both Goods and Services-producing sectors experienced growth. It is worth noting that the LFS data has a reliability threshold where if numbers are less than 1,500 the numbers cannot be published. As a result, the ‘0.0’ numbers shown in Table 1 are not necessarily zero in reality.

14. Median hourly wage for part-time versus full-time employees), 2010-2015
Full-time employees earn higher median hourly wages than part-time employees as shown in Figure 32. Hourly wages of part-time employees range between 54% and 62% of full-time wages. The difference in the Kootenay Development Region is 54.8%, lower than the provincial (62%), but higher than the national (54.5%). The average full time wage in the Kootenay Development Region ($26.00) is higher than the national and provincial averages. Wage by employment type are also available on the Digital Basin.51

24. Business Retention & Expansion
Over 1100 businesses interviewed
30+ partnerships (local government, Community Futures, Chambers of Commerce, Development Boards, provincial government, provincial economic development association, Columbia Basin Trust)
Primary sectors include retail trade, professional services, manufacturing, and accommodation & food services
Over 140 hour on implementation tools,700 hours of direct research support and over 150 hours of training
7 faculty and students involved
5 faculty
2 co-op students
Communities implement their BRE projects using tools and processes developed by the RDI. RDI provides training and direct research support (data analysis, report writing, presentation of findings to community) and links to resources to assist in related economic development planning and action.

25. BRE Communities Economic Region Companies
Boundary (Grand Forks, Greenwood, Midway) 41
Cranbrook (Innovation Councils – sector specific) 27
Castlegar (Innovation Councils – sector specific) 6
Regional District of Central Kootenay 68
Columbia Valley 9
Creston 43
Fernie 81
Golden
109
Kaslo 80
Kimberley 60
Regional District of Kootenay Boundary 19
Lower Columbia (Trail, Rossland, Fruitvale, Montrose)
167
Nakusp 46
Nelson
107
Revelstoke
134
Slocan Valley
Sparwood 65
Grand Total
1143

26. Highlights from Three Years of BRE
Re: Company Information
Biggest representation was from the Trade Sector: both Retail and Wholesale
(195 businesses)
Almost even representation from:
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
(97 businesses)
Accommodation and Food Services
Manufacturing (94 businesses)

27. Highlights from Three Years of BRE
Re: Company Information
Almost half of businesses surveyed are in a growth phase

28. Highlights from Three Years of BRE
Re: Company Information
Impressive stability in the business climate
Over half the businesses have been operating for over 10 years!

29. Highlights from Three Years of BRE
Re: Company Information
Does your company have a current business plan?
Over half of the region’s businesses (383) have a current business plan
Only 17% (114 businesses) have a current succession plan
125 businesses plan an ownership change in the next three years

30. Highlights from Three Years of BRE
Re: Local Workforce
Most of the region’s businesses (373) are smaller employers (fewer than 5 employees)
2.2% (17 businesses) are large employers, with over 100 employees

31. Highlights from Three Years of BRE
Re: Local Workforce
42% (266 businesses) expect the size of their full-time workforce to increase
54% (344 businesses) expect the full-time workforce to remain steady

32. Highlights from Three Years of BRE
Re: Local Workforce
Almost all recruitment is occurring in the local job market

33. Highlights from Three Years of BRE
Re: Local Workforce
There are foreseen workforce shortages
Service industry (retail, food & bev, and service sales)
Technical training (mechanics, professional and high-tech)

34. Highlights from Three Years of BRE
Re: Local Workforce
Most opportunities are in the skilled or professional category
368 businesses say the majority of their workforce is skilled or professional

35. Highlights from Three Years of BRE
Re: Local Workforce
Training needs mostly line up with workforce skills shortages, but…
Support for business management skills
Emerging industry practices
Both speak to hunger for more sophisticated management

36. Highlights from Three Years of BRE
Re: Business Climate
Barriers to growth are focused on
demographics,
red-tape,
economic diversity,
workforce skills and
high-costs of rural setting

37. What our Businesses Have to Say: Business Climate
Lea
58% rate as poor or fair
N=752

38. What our Businesses Have to Say: Economic Development
Lea
60% rate as poor or fair

39. Key Considerations Quality of jobs we create
To attract increasingly mobile workers
Quality of place we create
To attract worker families and avoid FIFO
Skills matching
Connection with job preparation tools (education / training)
Projections (across sectors & businesses)
Long-term attention to community development investments
Will take region-wide collaboration (these are investments not expenses, need for long-term planning, difference between tactical and strategic)