Thunder Bay has gained almost as many people as it’s lost over the past decade a new report indicates.
A new report commissioned by the North Superior Workforce Planning Board shows that while 35,692 people have left the city since 2001, 34,908 have moved in. And those people coming to the area are picking up jobs that have pushed Thunder Bay’s median income to $30,170, $430 higher than the provincial average.
“The reason it does that is while jobs are lost jobs are also created and the movement of people out of Thunder Bay and into Thunder Bay has a lot to do with the skill sets that are demanded by today’s employers,” report author Paul Knafelc said. “It’s the skill set that’s changing. There are people who live here who can’t find work unfortunately and they leave but then Thunder Bay has had to attract almost 35,000 people to the area to fill other jobs.”
And those people moving to the city, mostly for healthcare or professional sciences related jobs, are young and bringing their families with them.
“In fact we’ve had more kids come to Thunder Bay than we’ve lost over the last nine years,” Knafelc said.
Where the numbers can be confusing is there is still a net decline in job creation, population and local GDP Knafelc said. There are still people out there who have lost a job and need to take a lower-paying job to replace it but not to the extent that most people think he added.
“I’m not trying to suggest that some people no doubt that’s happened and they’ve taken jobs and they’re earning less money but it’s not an across the board thing,” he said. “I think we’re seeing a renewal and the quality of jobs are becoming better.”
Knafelc points to the fact that 77.5 per cent of jobs in 2011 were full-time, up from 75 per cent just two years ago.
NSWPB’s Frank Pullia said the report shows that Thunder Bay is transferring to a knowledge-based economy.
“It’s been happening for the last ten years and now we have proof that that is occurring,” he said.
Still, people need to be cautious with the numbers. The fact that the median income is $30,000 still means that 50 per cent of workers in Thunder Bay are making less than that.
“There’s good news but there are also reason to stay focused,” Pullia said.
