October 23, 2018
A Decade of Change
The last recession had a profound effect on Ontario, but its effects were felt differently by Ontarians from different backgrounds and in different regions of the province. This is the picture that emerges from the 2016 census data on income and employment, analyzed in Mowat’s latest A Different Ontario report.
Moreover, while Ontario gained nearly 500,000 jobs from 2006 to 2016, the proportion of Ontarians employed full-time year-round actually dropped. Employment gains were greatest in service industries generally requiring a postsecondary education, while employment losses were concentrated in manufacturing, which lost more than 200,000 jobs over this period.
These findings provide some important guidance for policymakers. Governments should prioritize access to trades and apprenticeship training, college, or university, while also providing effective skills training to adults already in the workforce, particularly where employment numbers are falling. Governments should also balance support for the economic growth of the GTA with a regional economic development strategy that ensures new jobs are created in smaller cities and regions, particularly those where manufacturing jobs have been lost. And policymakers should recognize that the situation of young adults in the post-recessionary period is more difficult than that of previous cohorts.
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Author
Andrew Parkin
Release Date
October 23, 2018
ISBN
978-1-77259-075-3
Mowat Research
No. 173
A Different Ontario Series
This series of reports takes a close look at data from the 2016 Census to chart the most important trends and to discuss their implications for policymakers. Many of the Census results, such as those related to aging or diversity, have been widely reported. But a closer look at the data reveals both trends that have been overlooked and important nuances that merit more attention from policymakers and the public.
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