Public sector drives local economy: EDL report
NINE OF TOP 10 EMPLOYERS IN LETHBRIDGE REGION ARE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Why is Lethbridge’s economy moving ahead while other communities are lagging?
A new report from Economic Development Lethbridge provides some answers. While many Canadian cities rely heavily on one industry, it shows the Lethbridge region’s economy is underpinned by a variety of public-sector jobs.
Education, health care and public service employers — along with non-profit agencies funded by government grants — account for more than 14,000 jobs in Lethbridge and the immediate surrounding area.
But at the same time, agrifood businesses and related manufacturers are showing growth.
The report, based on information submitted by 49 employers with 100 or more employees on their payroll, showed nine of the top 10 employers are in the public sector.
“This survey gives us a sense of the extent to which the local economy is shaped by major employers,” says Trevor Lewington, chief executive officer at the development agency.
“At the same time, this survey tells us that Lethbridge’s economy includes a diverse mix of large employers and small- and medium-sized businesses.
“That diversity is one of the reasons for Lethbridge’s continued economic strength and stability.”
Alberta Health Services is the city’s biggest employer, with a reported 3,368 men and women working full-time, part-time or on call. The University of Lethbridge places second, with 2,431.
Lethbridge College ranks fifth with 955 on staff, behind Lethbridge School District 51, with about 1,500 teachers, support staff and administrators. The Holy Spirit regional schools, seventhlargest, reported 779 employees while Palliser Regional Schools were 10th with 519.
City of Lethbridge officials reported 1,462 men and women at work, including police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians in addition to all the other civic services. That put the City in fourth spot, followed by about 900 provincial government employees playing a variety of roles.
Sunrise Poultry is the only private business in the top 10, with a reported 625 personnel — in eighth place, ahead of Covenant Health at 603.
Lewington says more than 21,400 people are employed by the 49 companies reporting 100 employees or more. Response was voluntary, he points out, if any were missed.
That number represents about 35 per cent of the city’s workforce, he adds. The report also includes major regional employers outside city limits, like McCain Foods with a reported 217 personnel at its plant east of Coaldale. To the west, the Canadian Pacific rail operations employ 250.
“Expanding the scope of the survey better captures Lethbridge’s role as a hub for the region’s economy and employment,” Lewington says.
It showed more than 2,000 employed by six major employers in the agri-food sector, with a reported 2,015 retail personnel at nine major outlets which responded.
Other manufacturers — led by Triple M Housing (325 on staff) then Charlton & Hill (265) a few higher than Kawneer — accounted for nearly 1,500 jobs.
And those food-related businesses have added staff, Lewington points out.
“While the public sector remains the largest employer in the region, its growth has been outpaced by that of the private sector.
“There, the agri-food sector leads the way with a 24-percent increase from 2015, while the manufacturing and retail sectors remained mostly stable.”
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