2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 0
2015 Labour Market Update
COV ER
The views expressed in this document do not necessarily reflect those of Employment Ontario.
Updated October 2015
2015 Update
Ottawa Local Labour Market Plan
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 1
2015 Labour Market Update
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... 2
EMPLOYER CONSULTATIONS ................................................................................................................. 4
OTTAWA'S LABOUR FORCE .................................................................................................................... 9
EDUCATION TRENDS ............................................................................................................................ 15
INDUSTRY LANDSCAPE ........................................................................................................................ 17
OCCUPATIONS IN OTTAWA ................................................................................................................ 20
PRIORITY SECTORS ............................................................................................................................... 25
Science & Technology .................................................................................................... 26
Health Care and Social Assistance .............................................................................. 30
Construction...................................................................................................................... 34
Hospitality and Tourism ................................................................................................... 38
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK ........................................................................................................................ 42
EMPLOYMENT ONTARIO (EO) CLIENT SNAPSHOT ............................................................................. 43
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT ................................................................................................................... 48
ACTION PLAN UPDATE ......................................................................................................................... 51
2015-16 ACTION PLAN ........................................................................................................................ 53
Labour Market Ottawa would like to thank all of the employers and community partners who
have taken the time to share their knowledge and insights over the past year. We look forward
to continuing to work with you as we take action on the priority areas identified in this report.
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Labour Market Ottawa facilitates local labour market planning with Ottawa’s employers, service
providers and other key stakeholders. We serve as a data hub for local labour market information (LMI).
Our two resource portals equip employers and service providers working with job seekers with
information to help connect Ottawa’s job seekers to jobs.
Key findings in the 2015 labour market update
Employer consultations point generally to an "experience" gap rather than a "skills" gap; can be
difficult to find workers with requisite experience, but high supply for entry level positions.
Employers also spoke generally to a lack of "work ethic" in today's youth.
Ottawa's population and labour force continued to increase from 2013 to 2014, with the
unemployment rate rising slightly from 6.5% in 2013 to 6.6% in 2014 (a five-year high).
6.2% unemployment rate in Ottawa in September 2015 (down from 6.7% in September 2014).
Manufacturing saw the greatest decrease in jobs in 2014 with a second year of decline.
Public administration added the most jobs, with 2,452 new jobs, showing growth of 2% from 2013 to
2014, following two years of decline.
Employers identified the need for an awareness campaign to showcase programs and services
available to them in Ottawa from service providers; highlighting business benefits will be key.
2015-16 action plan This action plan was approved by the two guiding committees in March 2015.
Labour Market Planning Enhance and leverage LabourMarketOttawa.ca
website
Annual update of local labour market plan
Annual update of Ottawa's Occupation Outlooks, Ottawa's Top Jobs, and Industry/Occupation Spotlights
Quarterly updates of Jobs Demand Reports
Leverage existing employer networks and events to bring LMI to employers, as opposed to only inviting them to our events
Roll out Understanding LMI Tutorial to service providers, including EO centres and schools
LMO: Launch bi-monthly newsletter and social media LMO: Map organizations/programs to funders; show who offers employer and/or job seeker services LMO: Respond to ad hoc research and speaking requests (sharing findings on LabourMarketOttawa.ca)
Service Coordination Team #1: Roll out training around
the Job Seeker Worksheet and ensure its links to the service provider portal are maintained and updated annually
Team #2: Hold the second annual “Building Connections” event and continue to broaden existing network
LMO: Update Quick Reference Sheets
LMO: Continue to enhance and leverage ottawajobpath.ca
More partnerships, learning, sharing best practices and tools, collaboration, coordination of referral process
Labour Market Service Delivery Committee (LMSDC) Annual planning/quarterly consultations
Employer Engagement Team #1: Hold the first annual
Employer Expo that highlights Ottawa's employment programs and services
Team #2: Develop and market Quick Reference Sheets for employers around programs and services
Team #3: Employer Engagement Interviews & Employer One Survey
LMO: Annual update and ongoing marketing of the Employer Roadmap to employment services and programs in Ottawa
LMO: Enhance and leverage ottawastaffingtoolkit.ca
Validate proposed actions with employers and actively engage them in
the process moving forward
Labour Market Planning Committee(LMPC) Annual planning/quarterly consultations
Create a forum to share information across all the Employment Ontario service providers (ES, LBS, EAS, SEB and Local Board); bring forward Employer Engagement actions that require collaboration between two or more programs
Brenda BedfordProject Coordinator
Labour Market Ottawa administration
Thomas SwerdfagerResearch Lead
Ingrid ArgyleProject Manager
Eric CapponResearch Assistant
Work placement studentProject Assistant
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2014-15 highlights and key achievements for 2015-16
Below we show highlights from 2014-15 projects and activities, as well as achievements to date in 2015.
#1 Local Labour Market Planning #2 Employer Engagement #3 Service Coordination
More than 2000 quarterly visitors to
labourmarketottawa.ca
More than 1200 people attended
events or met with Labour Market
Ottawa in 2014-15
LMO received $11,800 in sponsorship
money and an additional $54,100
in-kind contributions
Community partners and employers
contributed more than 1272 hours to
our consultations, implementation
teams and events
Published comprehensive three-
year labour market plan. (89%
satisfaction rating)
235 parents and students attended
OPEN DOORS, engaging with
educators and employers to explore
labour market trends and share real-
life experiences to help navigate the
evolving “world of work”. Partnered
with All Saints High School and
Algonquin College. (93% satisfaction
rating)
A survey was
conducted with 40
respondents to inform
an Employment
Ontario Leadership
Forum with 21
attendees to start a
dialogue on this issue.
A discussion paper
was developed and
vetted with 25 Job
Developers,
submitted to MTCU in
December.
Two Dialogue Forums
were held with the
funder to develop a
joint action plan, one
with 30 attendees
and one with 21
attendees.
96% satisfaction
rating from project
participants
More than 3000 quarterly visitors
to the ottawajobpath.ca website
2014-15 action plan shared and
validated
Formed three Implementation
teams to address each major
area of action (26 members total)
Employability model research
report and “Job Seeker
Worksheet” product developed
in English and French (distributed
to 300+ service providers)
Building Connections event – 275
participants plus 50 employers/
stakeholders joining for Open
House; 42 speakers/panelists; 55
service provider booths (92%
satisfaction rating)
Quick reference sheets –
Prepared for 66 Organizations, 8
Programs, one sample each for
Targeted Services, Supporting
Services and Hot Topic - shared
with more than 300 service
providers; published on website.
2015-16 ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE
30 confidential employer interviews were conducted to explore workforce trends with local employers
More than 160 people signed up for Job Seeker Worksheet training sessions taking place in fall 2015
LMO Project Manager and Coordinator visited more than 70 sites across the city to meet with
community partners working with job seekers and students on our first annual "road show" in fall 2015
Launched Twitter with 70 followers in the first three months
Priority action areas for the next 3 years (as identified in the three-year plan)
Ongoing Local Labour Market Planning - Labour Market Ottawa continues to serve as a hub for local labour
market information and further engages employers and service providers in local labour market planning.
Employer Engagement (service coordination from the perspective of employer as client) - Labour Market
Ottawa leads the implementation of the actions to be developed jointly by service providers and funders in
March 2015 to enhance the experience of employers as "clients" of Employment Ontario and broader
employment-related service providers across Ottawa.
Service Coordination (service coordination from the perspective of job seeker as client) - Labour Market
Ottawa continues to lead the implementation of actions identified in the three-year service coordination plan
and facilitates the ongoing planning process to build on the actions taken in 2014-15 and address any gaps in
the coordination of services for job seekers.
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 4
EMPLOYER CONSULTATIONS
WHAT IT IS In 2015, Labour Market Ottawa undertook a project to explore workforce trends with local employers.
Two other community consultations took place with employers in 2014-15 for which we also provide
highlights in this section: Executive Talent Assessment Project and Ottawa Business Growth Survey.
EXPLORING WORKFORCE TRENDS WITH LOCAL EMPLOYERS Labour Market Ottawa undertook a project to explore workforce trends
with local employers so that we could get their insights into what’s
happening on-the-ground in the local labour market. Between July and
October, employers shared their insights on hiring trends, changes in the
labour market, workplace diversity and how employment services can
better work with employers.
30 confidential employer interviews were conducted representing a
cross-section of priority sectors and organization size.
What’s included in this report - In this section of the 2015 Labour Market Plan, we present
highlights of key themes that emerged across sectors and organization size. We look more closely at
the sector specific findings (including general hiring trends) in the PRIORITY SECTORS section of this
report (pages 25 to 41). We share employer perceptions of employment services in the EMPLOYER
ENGAGEMENT section (pages 48 to 50). Detailed and comparative findings will be included in the final
project report – Exploring Workforce Trends with Local Employers.
The full report will be published on our labourmarketottawa.ca website in November 2015.
Who participated The desired mix of organizations by size and industry was achieved, with at least five participants from
each key sector and each size of organization.
ORGANIZATIONS BY SECTOR AND SIZE Participants represented 5 specific sectors with four participants categorized as representing other
sectors. Note that two participating organizations were classified as belonging in two industries.
5 Construction sector
7 Public Administration and
Education sectors
7 Science and Technology
sector
5 Hospitality and Tourism
sector
5 Healthcare sector
4 Other sectors
Chart 1: Participant Organizations’ Size
Source: LMO Employer Consultations, 2015
620%
827%
1653%
Small (under 50 employees)
Medium (50 to 250 employees)
Large (over 250 employees)
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 5
EMPLOYER CONSULTATIONS
PARTICIPANT ROLES Participants acted in a variety of roles for their organizations, but we were able to loosely group them
into three categories:
Senior Managers (14) – Most participants were hiring managers in charge of business functions
not necessarily related to human resources; however, a few participants did have senior
management roles specifically related to human resources.
Owner/Operators (7) – Participants in this category all came from small to medium organizations,
and ranged from typical small business owners overseeing staffs of less than 15, to founding chief
executives operating with staffing levels in the low hundreds.
Human Resources Officers (10) – Generally worked in recruitment and candidate screening.
The diversity of the participants’ roles helped ensure the results reflect multiple perspectives on
workforce trends from employers with a wide range of responsibilities.
Highlights of key findings
GENERAL THOUGHTS ON THE LABOUR MARKET Prior to asking participants about specific labour market issues or workplace trends, they were asked a
general question about their impressions of the local labour market in their industries. The wish was to
capture what, if any, major narratives might emerge describing local labour markets with minimal
prompting about any specific trends. Most of the answers form the basis for much of the sectoral
analyses offered later in the report. However, a few major trends emerged that seemed to characterize
the local labour market broadly, based on the collective views of participants.
Firstly, there is little evidence of any major significant and widespread labour market shortages. This is
not to say that specific industries did not sometimes face stiff competition for hiring, or that no individual
participants reported any labour shortages. Participants in some industries reported occasionally facing
shortages when hiring for science and technology based occupations. However, participants rarely
indicated that these staffing issues ever posed a fundamental threat to their organization’s business
functions. In other words, the inability to staff a position due to labour market shortages was generally
never so acute as to harm an organization’s ability to effectively do its work. In a context of widespread
skills shortages, this would almost certainly not have been the case.
Secondly, participants nonetheless often did find staffing positions proved challenging. Finding the right
person for a position was a challenge that most reported experiencing. The fairly widespread nature of
this experience could partially explain why there is sometimes a perception that employers feel they are
facing significant labour market shortages. It is important to differentiate, however, between hiring
challenges caused by a skills shortage and simply hiring challenges more generally. Participants at
large organizations, for example, often reported staffing challenges due to the wide variety of
occupations these organizations employ. Hiring challenges at such organizations may be due to the
fact that any standard recruitment processes and evaluation criteria would be difficult to apply across
the organization. However, these and other types of challenges relate less to issues with the external
labour supply—i.e. shortages—and more to other workforce trends, such as the increasing specialization
of many roles and reduced measures to train new employees.
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 6
EMPLOYER CONSULTATIONS
Finally, many employers did not really think locally about labour market trends. While this is perhaps the
least widespread of the above three findings, it is certainly the case that for many employers the idea of
a “local” labour market is increasingly less relevant. Discussed in greater depth below, this is likely
largely driven by changes in hiring processes based on adoption of new recruitment technologies. The
internet has allowed employers to recruit almost as easily from outside their region as from within.
Smaller organizations did tend to maintain a regional focus when hiring, and some public administration
organizations have certain restrictions about regions from which they can recruit. However, generally
employers no longer appear to focus on recruiting locally as much as they might have when advertising
primarily in print, for example. The effect this has, from the employer perspective, is twofold—it allows
employers to mitigate the effects of any localized skills shortages that might emerge due to periodic
expansion in their industries, but it also can exacerbate problems regarding too many applicants for any
one position.
GENERAL HIRING PRACTICES Participants were asked several questions about general hiring practices, related to identification of
need and final hiring decisions, use of outside support, and if they had seen any major changes to these
processes in recent years. Participants reported varying hiring models ranging from the highly
centralized to decentralized systems where hiring managers retained significant authority. Use of
outside support was generally limited; mostly confined to searches for executive roles, and for
occasional difficult-to-staff positions. Participants almost universally reported recent or ongoing major
changes to hiring processes, generally relating to adoption of new recruitment, screening and/or
evaluation technologies.
CHANGES IN THE LABOUR MARKET AND THE “WORLD OF WORK”
Participants were asked about changes in the labour market broadly, in the nature of work and in the
employer/employee relationship. Most participants did discuss facing occasional challenges finding
good employees, but did not generally attribute this strictly to skills shortages. Participant perspectives
were also mixed as to whether there has been an increase in short-term employment, or other non-
standard employer relationships. Few reported any major use of temporary staffing agencies, either,
and generally did report an increased acceptance in recent years of flexible work scenarios like
working remotely or on compressed weeks.
Participants usually gave some of their most opinionated responses to questions about workforce age
demographics. For most participants, the generally ageing workforce was very significant to either
business or hiring or both; and almost all participants reported seeing strong differences in how
members of different generations approach work. One of the most universally shared opinions amongst
participants was that younger workers today appear to be very entitled, something usually seen as quite
negative.
Finally, participants generally all reported that the “hidden job market” played a significant role in
organizational hiring practices, as word-of-mouth and personal or professional networks were important
elements of organizational hiring.
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 7
EMPLOYER CONSULTATIONS
EXECUTIVE TALENT ASSESSMENT PROJECT (ETAP)
What it is Invest Ottawa and the City of Ottawa conducted a broad, comprehensive C-suite survey to tap into
expert opinions around current and future leadership and management capacity and talent gaps. The
2014 survey was designed to gain insight into Ottawa executives’ views on attraction and retention; it
also aimed to assess how Ottawa performs as a “magnet” for talent. The 109 survey participants
included both CEOs and those on their senior leadership teams.
Key findings The study found that having a Strong pool of available talent was one of the top-rated factors in terms
of importance to career decisions, with the CEO respondents ranking it as number three. This was not
seen as an area of strength for Ottawa, pointing to a need to address this issue. At the same time,
however, Ottawa was considered to be performing well with regard to many of the other factors which
could be leveraged to attract and retain senior talent.
Respondent demographics point to a real concern around pending retirements, especially for CEOs
(with one-third aged 55 or over) and in the public sector (where 43% of respondents were 55 or over).
These findings point to a challenge around replacing retiring executive talent, particularly in the public
sector where there was less talent in the pipeline and where senior leaders had more advanced
degrees and language requirements than their private sector counterparts.
THE STUDY IDENTIFIED THESE CONSIDERATIONS FOR MOVING FORWARD:
We cannot look for a one size fits all solution; different companies, institutions and sectors will
need to find specific ways to address talent.
We need a commitment from all parties and individual champions identified to move to
solutions.
We need better dialogue around areas of concern.
We cannot separate talent and skills; talent needs both hard and soft skills to succeed.
Talent solutions will need to link to total education; we cannot only begin focusing on talent
post-secondary.
We need a City commitment to develop a website and to speak consistently about talent as a
strategic growth force.
We need to convince businesses that establishing a strong talent pool is a bottom line
imperative as talent is a key driver of current and future success.
Both the Detailed Report and the Summary of Key Findings (available in English only) can be found at
http:/labourmarketottawa.ca.
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 8
EMPLOYER CONSULTATIONS
OTTAWA BUSINESS GROWTH SURVEY
What it is The Ottawa Business Growth Survey is the largest and most comprehensive survey of businesses located
in the National Capital Region. Conducted by Abacus Data and made possible by Welch LLP, the
Ottawa Chamber of Commerce and Ottawa Business Journal, the survey provides many insights into
the region’s business community. The survey was conducted in spring 2015 and gathered input from
mostly owners, presidents and CEOs from 15 different sectors, with 353 respondents completing the
survey.
Key findings 50% of businesses say their sector will improve over the next six months
42% of business indicate they plan to hire new employees in the next six months
Access to skilled workers, new business attraction and access to capital are top issues for
Ottawa businesses
Despite the positive economic outlook, the study showed that 52% of businesses find barriers to doing
business in Ottawa. Access to a skilled workforce, access to capital and business taxes were seen as
the top three barriers to doing business. It is important to note, however, that only 15% of survey
respondents indicated that access to skilled workforce was the biggest barrier for their business now.
Fewer than 40% included it in the top five in response to a question to rank 14 issues over the next five
years. This aligns with Labour Market Ottawa's findings that, generally, employers do not feel that there
is a true "skills shortage" in Ottawa now, with fewer than half concerned that it may become an issue.
LOOKING MORE CLOSELY AT THE SKILLS SHORTAGE For those who identified a skills shortage as the biggest barrier to doing business (15% of total
respondents), these findings emerged:
44% responded that finding employees with technical skills is a serious problem
45% indicate that finding employees with previous experience in their respective sector is a
moderate problem.
44% feel that finding employees with the required soft skills is a moderate problem.
Other highlights
60% of respondents claimed they provide enough or more than enough workplace training for
their employees, contrary to recent industry reports that chart steady declines in workplace
training.
44% of Ottawa business owners plan to exit their business within the next 10 years, of which 48%
indicated that they are likely to sell their business to an external third party as an exit strategy.
47% of respondents believe that the technology sector offers Ottawa the greatest potential for
growth, with the tourism sector also cited.
41% believe that improvements towards training and mentorship around entrepreneurship will
activate local economic development.
The full report can be accessed at http://www.ottawabusinesssurveyreport.ca.
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 9
OTTAWA'S LABOUR FORCE
WHAT IT IS Looking at changes to Ottawa’s population, labour force, and employment rates helps us to gauge the
climate of the local labour market.
EMPLOYMENT & UNEMPLOYMENT TRENDS In 2014, 814,800 people of working age lived in Ottawa; this population has increased annually since
2001. There were 533,800 people employed in Ottawa in 2014 (up by 18,500 from 2010), while the
number of unemployed rose by 1,900 people in the same timeframe. The number of unemployed
reached a five-year peak at 38,000 in 2014, up 5% from the previous year. However, year-on-year, the
September unemployment rate went down from 6.7% in 2014 to 6.2% in 2015 which could be indicative
of a mid-year recovery. While Ottawa's unemployment rate of 6.6% in 2014 remains lower than the
provincial and national rate, the gap is continuing to become more narrow.
Working age population & labour force
814,800 people of working age
(15+) lived in Ottawa in 2014
7% increase over past five years
1% increase from 2013 to 2014
571,800 people in Ottawa’s labour
force in 2014
4% increase over past five years
2% increase from 2013 to 2014
70% of the working age population
is in the labour force (same as in 2013)
Chart 2: Ottawa Population & Labour Force, 5 years
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, CANSIM 282-0129
Employment & unemployment
533,800 people employed in 2014
18,500 more than in 2010
(4% increase over past five years)
2% increase from 2013 to 2014
38,000 unemployed people in 2014
1,900 more than in 2010 (5%
increase over past five years)
5% increase from 2013 to 2014
Chart 3: Ottawa Employment & Unemployment, 5 years
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, CANSIM 282-0129
763.1 776.1 789.7 802.8 814.8
551.4 549.2570.2 559.6 571.8
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Population (x 1,000) Labour force (x 1,000)
515.3 517.4 535.4 523.5 533.8
36.1 31.9 34.9 36.1 38
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Employment (x 1,000) Unemployment (x 1,000)
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 10
OTTAWA'S LABOUR FORCE
Unemployment rate
Lower unemployment rate
in Ottawa than in Canada,
Ontario and Toronto
6.6% of Ottawa's labour
force was unemployed in
2014
Fluctuation over the past
5 years with no net change
Gap continues to narrow,
as rates continued to drop for
all comparators over the past
five years, with only Ottawa
showing no net improvement
Chart 4: Unemployment rate, comparative analysis, 5-year trend
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, CANSIM 282-0102, 282-0129
A spotlight on the past year We can look at monthly labour force data for 2014/2015 to see what has happened more recently.
6.2% unemployment rate in Ottawa in September 2015 (down from 6.7% in September 2014)
6,200 fewer employed people year-on-year, while the labour force decreased by 9,900
Chart 5: Labour Force, Employment, and Unemployment Rate, Spotlight on 2014-15
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, CANSIM 282-0135
6.5
5.86.1
6.56.6
8.17.5 7.3 7.1 6.9
8.7
7.9 7.97.6 7.3
9.1
8.48.7
8.1 8
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Ottawa Canada Ontario Toronto
6.7
6.36.1
5.9
6.6
7 7.1
6.6
6.36.1 6.1
6.46.2
4
4.5
5
5.5
6
6.5
7
7.5
500
510
520
530
540
550
560
570
580
Sep-14 Oct-14 Nov-14 Dec-14 Jan-15 Feb-15 Mar-15 Apr-15 May-15 Jun-15 Jul-15 Aug-15 Sep-15
Un
em
plo
yme
nt
Rat
e (
%)
X1
00
0 (
seas
on
ally
ad
just
ed
)
Labour force Employment Unemployment rate
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 11
OTTAWA'S LABOUR FORCE
MIGRATION & IMMIGRATION
Ottawa migration patterns New migration data was published in November 2014 showing migration patterns from 2008 to 2013.
37,157 net total of migrants
from 2008 to 2013
28,140 of the net total were
“working age” (18-64 in this
case)
45-64 year olds were the only
age group with net out-
migration (2,356 more people
leaving Ottawa than arriving)
More than half of the net
migration was represented by
25-44 year olds
25-44 year olds showed the
greatest mobility with the
highest in-migration, out-
migration and net-migration
Chart 6: Migration by Age Group, Ottawa, 2008 to 2013
Source: Statistics Canada, Taxfiler, 2014
Newly admitted permanent residents in 2013 Labour Market Ottawa acquired custom data on permanent residents admitted to Ottawa in 2013 (the
most recent year available). This allows us to look at who is coming to Ottawa, as well as their intended
occupations and skill levels. Fewer permanent residents came to Ottawa in 2013 than in 2011; however,
there was a big jump in the number of these individuals who were retired which may reflect the
government’s increased focus on wealth as a deciding factor in who is admitted into Canada. Note
that these numbers do not include refugees.
WHO THEY ARE
6,015 permanent residents admitted to Ottawa in 2013 (down 6% from 2011)
20% are students (down from 23% in 2011)
35% are new workers (up from 29% in 2011)
6% are homemakers (down from 9% in 2011)
13% are retired (up from 4% in 2011)
Source: Citizenship & Immigration Canada, RDM as of May 2015
30,752 29,100
72,924
22,873
9,145
22,19217,566
53,962
25,229
8,6888,560
11,534
18,962
-2,356457
-10,000
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
0-17 18-24 25-44 45-64 65+
In-migrants Out-migrants Net-migrants
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 12
OTTAWA'S LABOUR FORCE
SKILL LEVELS OF INTENDED OCCUPATIONS
83% of new permanent residents that
specified an intended occupation plan
to work in a Skill Level A occupation
(usually requires university education);
10% plan to work in a Skill Level B
occupation (usually requires college
education or apprenticeship training);
7% plan to work in a Skill Level C
occupation (usually require secondary
school and/or occupation-specific
training);
None plan to work in a Skill Level D
occupation (on-the-job training is all that
is required)
Chart 7: Skill Level of Intended Occupations, 2013
Source: Citizenship & Immigration Canada, RDM as of May 2015
TOP TEN INTENDED OCCUPATIONS
University professors and lecturers and
Home child care providers top the list of
intended occupations of newly admitted
permanent residents.
Three of the occupations on the Top 10
list are Health occupations, while another
three are Occupations in education, law
and social, community and government
services.
Nine of the occupations on the Top 10
list are NOC Skill Level A (usually require
university education), while one (Home
child care provider) is Skill Level C
(usually require secondary school and/or
occupation-specific training).
Source: Citizenship & Immigration Canada, RDM as of May 2015
83%
10%7%
Skill Level A Skill Level B Skill Level C
Table 1: Intended Occupations of New
Permanent Residents, 2013
TOP TEN Occupations
# of new permanent residents
intending to work in this
occupation
University professors and lecturers 50 Home child care providers 50 Specialist physicians 45 Computer and information systems managers 40 Financial auditors and accountants 40 Software engineers and designers 40 Financial managers 35 College and other vocational instructors 30 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
25
General practitioners and family physicians 25
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 13
OTTAWA'S LABOUR FORCE
LABOUR FORCE BY AGE GROUP The data is readily available for the age groups shown below; while not ideal breakdowns, this can
compare roughly to youth (15 to 29), Gen X (30 to 49) and baby boomer (50 and over) populations.
Total labour force by age group
69.3% of the labour force in 2014
was aged 25 to 54, relatively
unchanged over the past five years,
although a 1.6% drop from 2013
Youth (15 to 24) has a higher share of
the labour force than those 55 years
and over in 2014; whereas 55+ had a
slight edge in 2013
Share of youth relatively unchanged
from five years ago, while 0.8
percentage point gain in 55 years and
over share of the workforce
Chart 8: Share of labour force by age group, 5-year trend
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, 282-0129
Part-time employment by age group
19.3% of all employed workers
worked part-time in 2014 (up from
17.6% in 2010)
57.5% of employed 15 to 24-year-
olds worked part-time (a notable 7.2
percentage points higher than in 2010)
Little change in 25 to 54-year-olds
working part-time over the past five
years (this age group consistently has
the lowest proportion working part-
time)
24.4% of workers aged 55 and over
worked part-time (2.6 percentage
points more than in 2010)
Chart 9: % of employed workers in each age group
working part-time, 5-year trend
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, 282-0129
16.3% 16.4% 15.0%
14.3%
16.1%
69.8% 69.5% 70.3% 70.9% 69.3%
13.8% 14.1% 14.7%
14.8%
14.6%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
15 to 24 years 25 to 54 years 55 and over
50.3% 51.9% 52.9% 51.9%57.5%
9.9% 10.1% 10.5% 11.4% 10.0%
21.8% 24.2% 22.8% 21.8% 24.4%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
15 to 24 years 25 to 54 years 55 and over
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 14
OTTAWA'S LABOUR FORCE
Ottawa’s youth labour force The participation rate of youths (aged 15-24) in the labour force decreased every year from 2010 to
2013, before making a partial recovery in 2014. In other words, each year from 2010 to 2013 a greater
proportion of Ottawa’s youth population was unwilling or unable to offer or supply labour services than
in the previous year. This trend was broken in 2014, when the participation rate rose 4 percentage points
from the previous year. However, there was still a net decrease in the youth participation rate (down 3
percentage points) and employment rate (down 1.3 percentage points) in the 2010 to 2014 period.
141,200 Youths (aged
15-24) in Ottawa in 2014
17% of Ottawa’s
population aged 15 and
older are between 15 and
24 years old
7% net increase in youth
population from 2010-14
2.4% increase in number
of youths in labour force,
but also a 17.7% increase in
number of youths not in
labour force
Chart 10: Youth (ages 15-24) Population & Labour Force Data,
Ottawa, 2010-2014
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey
80,300 youths employed in
Ottawa in 2014 (15% of total
number employed in the city)
87% of youths in the labour
force are employed, while
13% are unemployed
12,100 more part-time
workers than full-time workers
(compared to a difference of
just 2,700 the previous year)
Chart 11: Labour Force Characteristics, Youths (ages 15-24),
Ottawa, 2014
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey
34,10037%
46,20050%
11,70013%
Full-time employment
Part-time employment
Unemployment
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 15
EDUCATION TRENDS
WHAT IT IS This section looks at regional post-secondary program completions for public institutions to capture
what education programs are being pursued locally. This completion data is for Ottawa institutions, and
includes graduates who may have come to Ottawa for school and may not necessarily stay here.
Similarly, those who are educated outside of Ottawa and return to the city post-graduation are also not
reflected in these numbers.
Labour Market Ottawa can pull data on the top program completions in Ottawa from 2009 to 2012 from
its EMSI Analyst subscription. Note that program completions for 2012 include those who graduated in
spring 2013, and so forth.
Education highlights
22,851 post-secondary students
completed programs at Ottawa’s
public institutions
Third straight year of increase in total
number of regional completions
17% increase annual number of
completions from 2009 to 2012
Top 10 completions in 2012 were for
the same 10 programs as in 2011
Chart 12: Regional completions, 2009 to 2012, Ottawa
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Table 2: Regional Completions, Post-Secondary Public Institutions, 2012, Ottawa
2012 ALL Institution
Basic
education
and skills
program
Career,
technical
or pre-
university
program
Bachelors
Degree
Masters
Degree
Doctors
Degree Other
All
Certificates
All
Degrees
8,976 University of Ottawa
/ Université d'Ottawa 0 0 7,274 1,505 197 0 0 8,976
6,909 Algonquin College of
Applied Arts and
Technology 270 6,542 29 0 0 68 6,880 29
5,106 Carleton University 0 14 3,899 1,069 125 0 14 5,092
1,405 Cité Collégiale -
Campus d'Ottawa 9 1,381 15 0 0 0 1,390 15
240 Université Saint-Paul 0 0 81 147 12 0 0 240
22,851* TOTAL 279 7,936 11,298* 2,720 334 68 8,283 14,352
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
* Total includes 72 completions from University of Guelph - Kemptville College of Agricultural Technology
19,536 20,12421,740 22,851
2009Completions
2010Completions
2011Completions
2012Completions
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 16
EDUCATION TRENDS
Table 3: Regional Completions, Post-Secondary Public Institutions, 2009 to 2012, Ottawa
2012 TOP TEN PROGRAMS (# of completions) 2009 2010 2011 Change
2009 -12
% Change
2009-12
2,632 Business, management, marketing and related support
services 2,227 2,480 2,628 405 18%
2,394 Social sciences 1,924 2,101 2,155 470 24%
1,759 Health professions and related programs 1,787 1,766 1,720 (28) (2%)
1,682 Education 1,492 1,562 1,732 190 13%
1,204 Legal professions and studies 983 1,033 1,100 221 22%
990 Engineering 987 929 921 3 0%
972 Liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities 1,015 705 990 (43) (4%)
926 Communication, journalism and related programs 792 714 881 134 17%
814 Psychology 761 776 821 53 7%
746 Engineering technologies and engineering-related fields 456 559 741 290 64%
NOTE: The Top Completions list for 2011 was comprised of these same 10 programs. Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Table 4: 2012 Regional Completions, 2014 Median Hourly Earnings and Job Growth, 2013-14, Ottawa
2012 TOP TEN PROGRAMS (# of completions) Median Hourly
Earnings
(2014)
Regional Jobs
(2013)
Regional
Jobs (2014)
Growth in
Jobs (2013-
2014)
2,632 Business, management, marketing and related support
services $24.93 255,644 257,052 1%
2,394 Social sciences $36.12 52,339 52,216 0%
1,759 Health professions and related programs $28.13 127,375 128,998 1%
1,682 Education $28.72 65,209 68,992 6%
1,204 Legal professions and studies $29.12 10,068 9,345 (7%)
990 Engineering $35.80 56,700 62,750 11%
972 Liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities* $0.00 0 0 0%
926 Communication, journalism and related programs $33.13 45,346 40,756 (10%)
814 Psychology $34.12 5,589 4,788 (14%)
746 Engineering technologies and engineering-related fields $33.62 78,189 84,925 9%
*No occupations are specifically linked to Liberal arts in EMSI Analyst.
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 17
INDUSTRY LANDSCAPE
WHAT IT IS One lens with which to view the local labour market is from an industry/business perspective, using data
from Canadian Business Patterns and EMSI Analyst to get a picture of what is happening in the local
industry landscape. Sector growth and decline can point to which occupations will see job growth and
decline based on their predominance in the industry sectors.
LOOKING AT JOBS BY INDUSTRY
Where are the jobs? Ottawa’s Top Ten Industry Sectors by number of employees
breaks down as follows, with one in five employees working in
Public Administration, based on the 2014 numbers.
Public administration 20%
Professional, scientific and technical services 10%
Health care and social assistance 10%
Retail trade 10%
Educational services 8%
Accommodation and food services 6%
Other services (except public administration) 5%
Administrative & support, waste management & remediation 5%
Construction 5%
Manufacturing 3%
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Where are job losses and gains in 2014?
Manufacturing saw the
greatest decrease in jobs in
2014 with a second year of
decline; 1,025 fewer jobs
represents a decline of 5%.
Public administration
added the most jobs, with
2,452 new jobs, showing
growth of 2% from 2013 to
2014, following two years of
decline.
Table 5: Top 5 Industries Losing and Adding Jobs from 2013 to 2014
Top 5 Industries Losing Jobs Top 5 Industries Adding Jobs
(1,025) Manufacturing Public administration 2,452
(996) Administrative and support, waste
management and remediation
services
Educational services 2,133
(902) Real estate and rental and leasing Professional, scientific and technical
services 1,583
(489) Arts, entertainment and recreation Health care and social assistance 1,073
(271) Information and cultural industries Retail trade 775 Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
TOP 10 by percent share
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 18
INDUSTRY LANDSCAPE
LOOKING AT NUMBER OF BUSINESSES
How many are there?
6,526 more businesses in Ottawa
than three years ago, with increases
across all business size categories
212 more businesses than one year
ago (up from 63,136 in June 2014)
11% growth in number of businesses
over past three years, with 0.3%
growth in the past year
13% growth for Indeterminate (sole
proprietors) over past three years
Chart 13: Changes in Number of Businesses, Ottawa,
June 2012 to June 2015 (with percent growth)
Source: Canadian Business Patterns, 2012, 2015
Table 6: Changes in Number of Businesses, Ottawa, June 2012 to June 2015
Total No payroll 1 to 49 50-99 100-199 200-499 500 +
June 2015 63,348 34,250 27,510 864 417 201 106
June 2012 56,822 30,196 25,144 823 388 177 94
Change 6,526 4,054 2,366 41 29 24 12
% Change 11% 13% 9% 5% 7% 14% 13% Source: Canadian Business Patterns, 2012, 2015
A closer look at growth and decline in number of businesses
In looking at growth and decline
in industry sub-sectors, we
removed the Indeterminate
numbers, as these reflect self-
employed sole proprietors with
no payroll.
*It should be noted that in 2015
CBP added an ‘unclassified’
industry category, making it
difficult to accurately compare
June 2015 industry data to
previous years.
Table 7: Decline and growth by industry sub-sector*, 2012 to 2015
Top 5 Declining Industries Top 5 Growth Industries
(491) 814 - Private households 621 - Ambulatory health care services 344
(41) 417 - Machinery, equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers
722 - Food services and drinking places 179
(36) 451 - Sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores
813 - Religious, grant-making, civic, and professional and similar organizations
69
(33) 551 - Management of companies and enterprises
238 - Specialty trade contractors 56
(29) 624 - Social assistance 531 - Real estate 44 Source: Canadian Business Patterns, 2012, 2015
30,196 34,250
26,62629,098
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
June 2012 June 2015
Indeterminate (sole proprietors) Businesses with payroll
up 9%
up 13%
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 19
INDUSTRY LANDSCAPE
JOB DEMAND BY INDUSTRY Vicinity Jobs' Jobs Demand Reports allows us to look at local online job postings for the past year to get
a sense of what jobs are posted and by which employers.
Chart 14: Job Demand, Ottawa, # of online job postings, by industry sector, Jul 2014 to Jun 2015
Source: Vicinity Jobs, Jobs Demand Report, 2015
SELF-EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY SECTOR Chart 15: Ottawa's Self-Employed by Industry Sector*(with % of self-employed in labour force), 2014
*showing industries with more than 5,000 jobs Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
16 77374
843 651
3,024
1,2261,464
988524
4,744
1 190
1,124483
32645
1,137675
12% of Ottawa's total labour force in identified industries is self-employed
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 20
OCCUPATIONS IN OTTAWA
WHAT IT IS One of the richest sources of labour market information is occupational data based on NOC codes.
LOOKING AT JOBS BY OCCUPATION CATEGORY
Where are the jobs? Ottawa’s Top Eight Occupation Categories by number of
employees breaks down as follows, with one in five
employees working in Sales and Service, based on the 2014
numbers.
Sales and service 21%
Business, finance and administrative 19%
Natural and applied sciences and related 15%
Social science, education, government service, religion 14%
Management 9%
Trades, transport and equipment operators and related 8%
Health 7%
Art, culture, recreation and sport 4%
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Where are job losses and gains in 2014?
Management occupations lost
the most jobs from 2013 to
2014, with a decline of 9%; this
followed two years of growth
Natural and applied sciences
and related occupations
added the most jobs, showing
growth of 11% from 2013 to
2014, representing a second
year of growth.
Table 8: Top 3 Occupation Groups Losing & Adding Jobs, 2013 to 2014
Top 3 Occupation Groups Losing Jobs
Top 3 Occupation Groups Adding Jobs
(5,305) Management occupations Natural and applied sciences
and related occupations 8,317
(2,193) Trades, transport and
equipment operators and
related occupations
Health occupations 2,416
(1,774) Occupations in art, culture,
recreation and sport
Business, finance and
administrative occupations 2,406
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
TOP 8 OCCUPATIONS by percent share
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 21
OCCUPATIONS IN OTTAWA
Ottawa's top jobs "by the numbers" Labour Market Ottawa publishes this list annually, and prepares one-page infographics detailing the
occupations featured on the list. More detailed information can be found at LabourMarketOttawa.ca.
TOP TEN # of Jobs in 2014
TOP TEN ∆ in # of Jobs (2012 to 2014)
TOP TEN % of Job Growth (2012 to 2014)
1. Computer programmers and interactive media developers
1. Information systems analysts and consultants
1. Landscaping and grounds maintenance contractors and managers
2. Information systems analysts and consultants
2. Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers
2. Pharmacists
3. Retail salespersons and sales clerks (declined from 2012 to 2014)
3. Computer programmers and interactive media developers
3. Travel counsellors
4. Administrative clerks 4. Registered nurses 4. Personnel clerks
5. Cashiers 5. Computer and information
systems managers 5. Biologists and related scientists
6. Registered nurses 6. Financial auditors and
accountants 6. Other instructors
7. Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related occupations
(declined from 2012 to 2014)
7. Elementary school and kindergarten teachers
7. Other professional occupations in physical sciences
8. Administrative officers (declined from 2012 to 2014)
8. Bookkeepers 8. Dietitians and nutritionists
9. Software engineers and designers 9. Retail trade supervisors 9. Loan officers
10. Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers
10. Biologists and related scientists 10. Food service supervisors
Occupations shown in bold made more than one Top Ten List Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Ottawa's top ten occupations Table 9: Top ten Otawa occupations, # of jobs, 2014 (showing five-year trend)
2014 Jobs TOP TEN OCCUPATIONS (# of jobs) 2012 Jobs 2017 Jobs Change
2012-2017 % Change
15,214 Computer programmers and interactive media developers 12,218 15,928 3,710 30%
15,112 Information systems analysts and consultants 11,900 15,886 3,986 33%
14,348 Retail salespersons and sales clerks 16,868 13,731 (3,137) (19%)
11,829 Administrative clerks 10,515 11,821 1,306 12%
11,273 Cashiers 10,763 11,688 925 9%
11,157 Registered nurses 8,387 12,029 3,642 43%
10,203 Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related 11,128 10,392 (736) (7%)
9,539 Administrative officers 9,907 9,725 (182) (2%)
9,106 Software engineers and designers 8,229 9,908 1,679 20%
9,090 Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers 5,946 9,779 3,833 64%
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 22
OCCUPATIONS IN OTTAWA
Growth and decline in occupations in the past year
40% of the 522 occupations showed decline of 10 or more jobs in the past year
37% of occupations showed growth of 10 or more jobs; the rest had no change or insufficient data
Table 10: Decline and growth by occupation, # of jobs, 2013 to 2014
Top 10 Declining Occupations Top 10 Growth Occupations
(1,604) Professional occupations in public relations and
communications Information systems analysts and consultants 2,428
(1,515) Specialists in human resources Social policy researchers, consultants and program
officers 2,308
(1,391) Program officers unique to government Computer programmers and interactive media
developers 2,172
(1,195) Real estate agents and salespersons Registered nurses 1,593
(833) University professors Biologists and related scientists 1,121
(810) Natural and applied science policy researchers,
consultants and program officers Bookkeepers 1,070
(809) Health policy researchers, consultants and program
officers
Immigration, employment insurance and revenue
officers 1,062
(759) Janitors, caretakers and building superintendents Computer and information systems managers 1,038
(743) Lawyers and Quebec notaries Technical sales specialists, wholesale trade 1,012
(679) Financial managers Food service supervisors 982 Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Table 11: Decline and growth by occupation, % of job growth/decline (>100 jobs), 2013 to 2014
Top 10 Declining Occupations Top 10 Growth Occupations
(55%) Crane operators Securities agents, investment dealers and brokers 349%
(53%) Public works maintenance equipment operators Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating 253%
(52%) Senior managers - Health, education, social and
community services and membership organizations Actors and comedians 105%
(44%) Banking, insurance and other financial clerks Food service supervisors 104%
(43%) Aircraft instrument, electrical and avionics mechanics,
technicians and inspectors Sports officials and referees 85%
(43%) Other administrative services managers Other instructors 73%
(43%) Specialized cleaners Pharmacists 70%
(43%) Executive housekeepers Other repairers and servicers 65%
(41%) Senior managers - Financial, communications and other
business services Supervisors, other products manufacturing and assembly 63%
(41%) Firefighters Licensed practical nurses 62% Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 23
OCCUPATIONS IN OTTAWA
JOB DEMAND BY OCCUPATION CATEGORY Vicinity Jobs' Jobs Demand Reports allows us to look at local online job postings for the past year to get
a sense of which occupation categories have jobs posted online.
Chart 16: Job Demand, Ottawa, # of online job postings, by occupation category, Jul 2014 to Jun 2015
Source: Vicinity Jobs, Jobs Demand Report, 2015
SELF-EMPLOYMENT BY OCCUPATION GROUP
12% of Ottawa's labour force was self-employed in 2014
Early childhood educators and assistants tops the list with 4,152 self-employed workers, while
Residential home builders and renovators has the greatest share, with 99% being self-employed
Chart 17: Ottawa's Self-Employed by Occupation (with % of self-employed in labour force), 2014
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
6,4748,101 7,647
2,404 2,953 1,826
10,418
2,690202 795
18,826
0 -Managementoccupations
1 - Business,finance and
administrationoccupations
2 - Natural andapplied
sciences andrelated
occupations
3 - Healthoccupations
4 -Occupations ineducation, law
and social,community
andgovernment
services
5 -Occupations in
art, culture,recreation and
sport
6 - Sales andservice
occupations
7 - Trades,transport and
equipmentoperators and
relatedoccupations
8 - Naturalresources,agricultureand relatedproductionoccupations
9 -Occupations inmanufacturing
and utilities
Other /Unidentified
12% of Ottawa's total labour force is self-employed
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 24
OCCUPATIONS IN OTTAWA
TOP TEN (NUMBER OF JOBS)
Early childhood educators
and assistants top the list with
4,152 self-employed workers.
Three of the top ten
occupations are
management occupations.
TOP TEN (% OF JOBS)
Residential home builders
and renovators top the list
with 99% indicating that they
are self-employed.
Three of the top ten
occupations are health
occupations.
Those in bold made both
lists.
Table 12: Ottawa's occupations with highest self-employment, 2014
Top # of self-employed workers Top % of self-employed workers
4,152 Early childhood educators and assistants
Residential home builders and renovators
99%
3,668 Professional occupations in business services to management
Accommodation service managers 99%
3,339 Information systems analysts and consultants
Chiropractors 96%
3,180 Retail trade managers Midwives and practitioners of natural healing
95%
2,548 Residential home builders and renovators
Optometrists 94%
2,311 Real estate agents and salespersons Farmers and farm managers 91%
1,890 Restaurant and food service managers Actors and comedians 91%
1,522 General practitioners and family physicians
Artisans and craftspersons 91%
1,455 Computer programmers and interactive media developers
Painters, sculptors and other visual artists
91%
1,397 Lawyers and Quebec notaries Landscaping and grounds maintenance contractors and managers
90%
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 25
PRIORITY SECTORS
WHAT IT IS Ottawa employers and service providers identified four key sectors on which to focus in the past year;
the first three of which aligned closely with the priority areas identified in the 2011 Strategic Framework/
Plan:
Science & Technology;
Health Care and Social Assistance;
Construction; and
Hospitality and Tourism (added as a priority in 2013).
We include key highlights for all of these sectors as part of this report.
Detailed sector findings will be posted on labourmarketottawa.ca for the above sectors, as well as for
Public Administration, Finance, Manufacturing, Education, Retail and Film, TV and Digital Media.
Employer consultations The information on the following pages provides an overview of the 2014 data, as well as highlights from
the 30 employer interviews conducted in summer/fall 2015; full interview findings will be published in the
detailed report on the employer consultations.
The data provided Looking at jobs by NAICS code shows us how many people are employed in a specific industry, while
looking at jobs by NOC codes shows us how many people are employed in a specific occupation. It is
important to use both to understand local labour trends for specific sectors. NAICS codes allow us to
see employment figures for industries that fall within each sector.
Data showing jobs by occupation category generally shows all jobs in that occupation, not solely those
specific to a sector. However, a job seeker may not care about in which sector they work so employers
are competing across sectors for in-demand occupations. In Ottawa's case, the Federal Government
hires large numbers of workers for many occupations; therefore, you may also see a downturn in jobs for
specific occupations (IT, for example) because of government cuts even if the IT sector itself is doing well.
Looking at the data - some words of caution
EMSI suggests taking occupation data between 100 and 500 jobs with “a grain of salt”;
occupation data where there are fewer than 100 jobs is NOT considered reliable
because of the sampling sizes used in the Labour Force Survey.
Also keep in mind that forecasts are based on the statistics (projecting from what has
happened in the past and HRSDC forecasts) and do not take into account qualitative trends
(e.g., commercial construction boom will continue; public sector cuts will continue).
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 26
PRIORITY SECTORS
1. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Defining the "sector" Neither Science & Technology nor ICT are industry sectors as defined by NAICS codes. To try to get a
sense of broader technology jobs in applied science and IT, we have focused on two sectors:
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
59,493 sector jobs in Ottawa in 2014
2nd largest industry sector out of 20 in
Ottawa with 10.2% of all jobs
3% increase in Ottawa jobs in 2014, after a
decline from 2012 to 2013
Information & Cultural Industries
13,857 sector jobs in Ottawa in 2014
14th largest industry sector out of 20 in
Ottawa with 2.4% of all jobs
2% decrease in Ottawa jobs in 2014,
following three years of growth
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Labour market dynamics (identified in employer interviews) Relevant labour market information on this sector is difficult to obtain largely due its diverse nature.
Because the business operations of organizations in this sector are so diverse, and position roles are
constantly changing to keep up with developments in technology, it becomes difficult to categorize by
occupation or industry code, in a very fluid sectoral labour market. This sector is also heavily influenced
by larger economic trends, as organizations generally offer specific services to those in other, non-
technology based sectors. Organizations operate in fairly diverse business environments; one
organization might provide software services to government, and another research services to the
mining and gas industry. This makes it unlikely that anything other than a broad, local economic
downturn will significantly affect this sector as a whole; the impact of government cuts, for example,
might be mitigated by growth in other areas of the economy requiring software services.
A focus on occupations For this "sector", it is helpful to look at occupations in Natural & Applied Sciences to assess the local
labour market as this occupation grouping captures many technology jobs in the above two sectors.
86,523 Natural and Applied
Sciences jobs in Ottawa
About 1 in 7 Ottawa jobs is in
Natural and Applied Sciences
75% of the jobs are Professional
occupations as opposed to
technical occupations
11% increase in jobs from 2013 to
2014 (representing 8,317 jobs)
Chart 18: Jobs in Natural & Applied Sciences in Ottawa, 2014
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
64,48675%
22,03625%
Professional occupations in naturaland applied sciences
Technical occupations related tonatural and applied sciences
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 27
PRIORITY SECTORS
Detailed occupation information for Natural and Applied Sciences Note that this information includes ALL jobs in the occupations group, regardless of sector.
Table 13: Top 10 Professional Occupations, Ottawa, 2014 (and 5-year view)
2014 Jobs TOP TEN PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONS (# of jobs) 2012
Jobs
2017 Jobs
Forecast
Change
2012-17
% Change
2012-17
15,214 Computer programmers and interactive media developers 12,218 15,928 3,710 30%
15,112 Information systems analysts and consultants 11,900 15,886 3,986 33%
9,106 Software engineers and designers 8,229 9,908 1,679 20%
3,086 Database analysts and data administrators 2,806 3,315 509 18%
2,937 Biologists and related scientists 1,403 3,260 1,857 132%
2,853 Computer engineers (except software engineers) 2,354 2,971 617 26%
2,566 Civil engineers 3,041 2,483 (558) (18%)
2,359 Electrical and electronics engineers 2,905 2,157 (748) (26%)
1,923 Web designers and developers 1,779 1,776 (3) (0%)
1,501 Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries 1,059 1,603 544 51%
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Table 14: Top 10 Technical Occupations, Ottawa, 2014 (and 5-year view)
2014 Jobs TOP TEN TECHNICAL OCCUPATIONS (# of jobs) 2012
Jobs
2017 Jobs
Forecast
Change
2012-17
% Change
2012-17
3,653 Computer network technicians 2,679 3,817 1,138 42%
3,330 User support technicians 4,340 2,790 (1,550) (36%)
2,484 Electronic service technicians (household and business
equipment) 2,597 2,409 (188) (7%)
2,350 Systems testing technicians 1,375 2,533 1,158 84%
1,339 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and
technicians 1,231 1,388 157 13%
1,143 Inspectors in public and environmental health and
occupational health and safety 1,576 1,143 (433) (27%)
669 Chemical technologists and technicians 737 690 (47) (6%)
580 Civil engineering technologists and technicians 650 536 (114) (18%)
561 Biological technologists and technicians 508 548 40 8%
528 Drafting technologists and technicians 627 485 (142) (23%)
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 28
PRIORITY SECTORS
Job changes in 2014 2014 saw continued increases in jobs for Biologists and related scientists and continued recovery in
many IT jobs, as well as for Civil engineers. Jobs for Computer engineers (except software engineers)
increased in 2014, after declining the previous year, while the Software engineers saw a decline in 2014.
Table 15: Top 10 Growth Occupations, Natural & applied science, Ottawa, 2013-14 Growth in
# of jobs TOP TEN GROWING OCCUPATIONS IN 2014 2013 Jobs 2014 Jobs % Growth
2013-14
2,428 Information systems analysts and consultants 12,684 15,112 19%
2,172 Computer programmers and interactive media developers 13,042 15,214 17%
1,121 Biologists and related scientists 1,816 2,937 62%
971 Computer network technicians 2,682 3,653 36%
793 Systems testing technicians 1,557 2,350 51%
517 Computer engineers (except software engineers) 2,336 2,853 22%
370 Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries 1,131 1,501 33%
295 Other professional engineers, n.e.c. 962 1,257 31%
193 Biological technologists and technicians 368 561 52%
187 Civil engineers 2,379 2,566 8%
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Table 16: Top 10 Declining Occupations, Natural & applied science, Ottawa, 2013-14 Decline in
# of jobs TOP TEN DECLINING OCCUPATIONS IN 2014 2013 Jobs 2014 Jobs % Growth
2013-14
(579) Software engineers and designers 9,685 9,106 (6%)
(275) Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety
1,418 1,143 (19%)
(132) Aircraft instrument, electrical and avionics mechanics, technicians and inspectors
305 173 (43%)
(129) Landscape and horticultural technicians and specialists 567 438 (23%)
(112) Engineering inspectors and regulatory officers 368 256 (30%)
(98) Electronic service technicians (household and business equipment)
2,582 2,484 (4%)
(93) Industrial and manufacturing engineers 335 242 (28%)
(80) Aerospace engineers 525 445 (15%)
(70) User support technicians 3,400 3,330 (2%)
(70) Architectural technologists and technicians 268 198 (26%)
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 29
PRIORITY SECTORS
Job demand (online job postings) Labour Market Ottawa subscribes to Vicinity Jobs Job Demand Reports; sector highlights include:
4,744 online job postings from July 2014 to June 2015 were in the Professional, Scientific and
Technical Services sector ̶ 26% of all postings ̶ (up from 4,630 postings the previous year making it
the sector with the most postings for the second year in a row).
1,464 postings were in the Information and Cultural Industries sector; 8% of all postings (up from
1,105 postings the previous year, representing a 32% increase year-on-year).
7,647 postings were for Natural and applied sciences and related occupations (12% of all
postings) Source: Vicinity Jobs, 2015
What we heard from employers (highlights from the consultations)
Strong competition between firms for talent with high turnover sector-wide.
While striving to nurture and grow “top talent,” hesitant to invest too much because of fear of
losing them to the competition; may become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Interview participants from this sector were far more likely to refer to “talent” in reference to labour than
in any other sector. Discussions were focused on how participants and their organizations “identify
talent” or “acquire talent” or “grow talent”. They generally felt the industry’s labour market was
characterized by strong competition between firms for talent and, on occasion, refrained from
answering questions about hiring practices in order to protect proprietary information. The result
appears to be a very fluid labour market, with a higher level of turnover than other sectors. Participants
were asked about turnover rates, and did generally think there was more movement in this industry than
in others, but usually not at their organizations. Similarly, there were perceptions that short-term
employment was increasing in the industry, and that internal training opportunities were being
diminished, more so across the sector than in their own organizations.
This points to an apparent contradiction in industry narrative. Firms are reported to be in a constant,
hard competition to acquire and retain the “top talent”; and yet simultaneously moved towards short-
term, project based employment relationships. While striving to nurture and grow the “top talent,” they
are hesitant to invest in employee training and development because of a perception that these
employees would take their new skills to another firm. The data does show a disproportionate number
of job postings for jobs in this sector relative to job growth. We can compare two sectors with similar
total number of jobs. The Healthcare sector saw a 2% increase in total jobs with only 438 online
postings. Professional, Scientific and Technical Services saw a 3% increase in jobs and 7,647 postings.
Participants acknowledged the inherent contradictions and generally attributed it to business pressures
and the competitive nature of the sector. It may be the case that some firms are caught in a self-
fulfilling prophecy; attracting top talent is paramount to organizational success, and as such all
organizations want this talent. Competition is so intense organizations are always fearful of losing talent,
making them less likely to invest in training and long-term employment relationships; which in turn makes
them more likely to lose this talent, and forces them to compete more in the external labour market.
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 30
PRIORITY SECTORS
2. HEALTH CARE & SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
Defining the sector
59,438 Health care & social
assistance sector jobs in Ottawa
in 2014
3rd largest industry sector out of
20 in Ottawa with 10.2% of all
jobs
1 in 3 sector jobs are in
Ambulatory health care services
2% increase in Ottawa jobs
from 2013 to 2014
Chart 19: Health care & social assistance Jobs, Ottawa, 2014
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Labour market dynamics (identified in employer interviews) Labour Market Ottawa interviewed a fairly representative group of employers in the healthcare sector,
in terms of which organization types represent the largest share of local employment. Several significant
trends emerged from these consultations. Firstly, all employers discussed the increasing specialization of
the workforce in healthcare and the challenges that this trend poses from a staffing perspective. One
employer described it as a highly “credentialized” sector, discussing how this often made it difficult to
quickly staff new positions in order to meet organizational needs. Furthermore, many organizations are
heavily unionized, and have highly regulated hiring practices that can make looking outside the
organization difficult. Internal training was thus seen as integral to organizational success by many
participants in this sector, and the key to heading off any potential future worker shortages.
A focus on occupations For this sector, it is helpful to look at occupations in Health to assess the local labour market.
40,381 Health jobs in Ottawa,
representing 6.9% of all jobs
1 in 15 Ottawa jobs is in Health
29% of the jobs are in
Professional occupations in
health, with jobs fairly evenly split
across the four sub-groups
6% growth in jobs in this group
from 2013 to 2014
Chart 20: Jobs in Health in Ottawa, 2014
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
20,03534%
17,02429%
12,73121%
9,64916%
Ambulatory health careservices
Hospitals
Social assistance
Nursing and residentialcare facilities
11,83029%
11,50728%
8,73922%
8,30621%
Professional occupationsin health
Nurse supervisors andregistered nurses
Technical and relatedoccupations in health
Assisting occupations insupport of health services
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 31
PRIORITY SECTORS
Detailed occupation information Sector jobs show only those jobs in the Health care & social assistance sector, while the Health
occupations show all jobs for a specific occupation, regardless of sector. Eight out of ten occupations in
the Top 10 industry and Health occupations show growth in the five-year view from 2012 to 2017.
Table 17: Top 10 Jobs in sector, # employed in industry, Ottawa, 2014 (and 5-year view)
2014 Jobs TOP TEN OCCUPATIONS IN INDUSTRY (# of jobs) 2012 Jobs
in Industry
2017 Jobs
in Industry
Change
2012-2017 % Change
9,856 Registered nurses 7,509 10,604 3,095 41%
7,334 Early childhood educators and assistants 6,443 7,618 1,175 18%
4,824 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates 5,050 4,962 (88) (2%)
2,476 General practitioners and family physicians 1,928 2,733 805 42%
2,046 Licensed practical nurses 1,921 2,074 153 8%
2,023 Specialist physicians 1,795 2,261 466 26%
1,854 Community and social service workers 1,374 1,985 611 44%
1,581 Receptionists and switchboard operators 1,948 1,598 (350) (18%)
1,176 Managers in health care 857 1,375 518 60%
1,111 Visiting homemakers, housekeepers & related occupations 981 1,231 250 25%
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Table 18: Top 10 Health occupations, # of jobs, Ottawa, 2014 (and 5-year view)
2014 Jobs TOP TEN HEALTH OCCUPATIONS (# of jobs) 2012 Jobs 2017 Jobs Change
2012-2017 % Change
11,157 Registered nurses 8,387 12,029 3,642 43%
5,313 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates 5,461 5,380 (81) (1%)
2,707 General practitioners and family physicians 2,072 2,995 923 45%
2,298 Other assisting occupations in support of health services 1,779 2,575 796 45%
2,210 Licensed practical nurses 2,043 2,237 194 9%
2,179 Specialist physicians 1,980 2,426 446 23%
1,764 Pharmacists 567 2,028 1,461 258%
1,039 Dental hygienists and dental therapists 621 1,099 478 77%
1,025 Physiotherapists 1,353 1,072 (281) (21%)
996 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment 700 1,140 440 63%
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 32
PRIORITY SECTORS
Job changes in 2014 2014 saw increases in jobs for Registered nurses for the second year in a row, after declining in 2012.
Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates showed a big decline in jobs in 2014 after three
years of growth.
Table 19: Top 10 Growth Occupations, Health, Ottawa, 2013-14 Growth in
# of jobs TOP TEN GROWING OCCUPATIONS IN 2014 2013 Jobs 2014 Jobs % Growth
2013-14
1,593 Registered nurses 9,564 11,157 17%
847 Licensed practical nurses 1,363 2,210 62%
729 Pharmacists 1,035 1,764 70%
386 Dental hygienists and dental therapists 653 1,039 59%
177 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
70 247 253%
167 General practitioners and family physicians 2,540 2,707 7%
161 Dentists 735 896 22%
115 Dental assistants 662 777 17%
96 Dietitians and nutritionists 537 633 18%
57 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardio-pulmonary technologists
148 205 39%
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Table 20: Top 10 Declining Occupations, Health, Ottawa, 2013-14 Decline in
# of jobs TOP TEN DECLINING OCCUPATIONS IN 2014 2013 Jobs 2014 Jobs % Growth
2013-14
(498) Ambulance attendants and other paramedical occupations 1,269 771 (39%)
(494) Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates 5,807 5,313 (9%)
(209) Occupational therapists 624 415 (33%)
(141) Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment 1,137 996 (12%)
(113) Head nurses and supervisors 417 304 (27%)
(107) Physiotherapists 1,132 1,025 (9%)
(82) Opticians 209 127 (39%)
(81) Medical radiation technologists 642 561 (13%)
(76) Other assisting occupations in support of health services 2,374 2,298 (3%)
(55) Chiropractors 249 194 (22%)
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 33
PRIORITY SECTORS
Job demand (online job postings) Labour Market Ottawa subscribes to Job Demand Reports from Vicinity Jobs.
483 online job postings from July 2014 to end of June 2015 were in the Health Care and Social
Assistance sector – 3% of all postings (down from 672 postings in the same timeframe last year).
2,404 postings were in the Health occupation category (4% of all postings)
What we heard from employers (highlights from the consultations)
While hiring could be a challenge, not necessarily due to lack of applicants with requisite skills.
“Poor” working conditions seen to increase difficulty in attracting workers to specific positions.
Insufficient funding to allow for the compensation required to attract workers to the hardest to fill
positions.
As with most sectors, the issue of whether or not there are any major skills shortages was somewhat
contentious. While all participants reported that hiring was often a “challenge”, this was not necessarily
due to a lack of applicants with the requisite skills. In the healthcare sector more than others, other
factors often made it difficult to attract workers to positions where a high level of skill and experience is
required. These factors generally related to working conditions such as scheduling or the perceived
level of stress that accompanies different roles.
Participants reported getting an abundance of applicants for some types of nursing positions, while
finding it more difficult to consistently staff others. This is not necessarily because there is a lack of
trained or experienced nurses available in the external labour market. Instead, many participants
perceived that nurses with the requisite qualifications often will seek positions that offer better
scheduling or lower on-the-job stress than, for example, positions in intensive care. A similar dynamic
was discussed in relation to personal support workers and several other specialized occupations, such as
occupational or physical therapists, respiratory therapists, etc. Staffing difficulties were not due to
explicit skills shortages but instead shortages of workers willing to take on certain specific roles.
Through the extensive interviews, we were able to better understand this dynamic and how it helped
explain findings in previous years regarding a high demand for some registered nurses, registered
practical nurses, and PSWs even whilst several hospitals and sector employers were reporting cuts.
The overall perception presented by participants in this sector is that there are many jobs to be had,
and local labour is available to staff them; however, the compensation and work conditions may not be
perceived as strong enough to attract workers to the hardest to fill positions. For example, one
employer cited difficulties in making personal support work appear attractive, largely due to the difficult
working conditions it entails; they felt that significantly higher compensation rates would likely go a large
way to solving this problem. In the current healthcare sector environment, however, funding is always
tight, according to participants. Thus organizations are faced with difficult decisions about where to
allocate staffing dollars, and might not be able to offer higher compensation in areas where it is
needed to attract workers to positions with quite difficult working conditions.
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 34
PRIORITY SECTORS
3. CONSTRUCTION
Defining the sector
29,700 Construction sector
jobs in Ottawa in 2014
9th largest industry sector out of
20 in Ottawa with 5% of all jobs
3 in 5 sector jobs are Specialty
trade contractors
24% of jobs are self-employed
1% decrease in Ottawa jobs
from 2013 to 2014
Chart 21: Construction Jobs, Ottawa, 2014
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Labour market dynamics (identified in employer interviews) Participants interviewed represented a mix of small, medium and large organizations and varied from
managers at larger corporations to owner/operators of smaller local businesses. The sector is not as
large locally, by total jobs, as many participants seemed to feel. Furthermore, it has in recent years
been shrinking slightly, again by total jobs, a trend reflected in participants’ perspectives.
Many construction-related jobs—such as positions in the trades—are not actually as present in the
construction sector as might be expected. Building maintenance employs many tradespeople, and this
economic sector is separate from construction more generally; hence the discrepancy in numbers
when looking at job numbers by sector or by occupation category. Sector participants reported
significant numbers of people in accounting and management, as well as general labour or trades.
A focus on occupations For this sector, it is helpful to look at occupations in Trades, transport and equipment operators and
related occupations as three-fifths (60%) of construction jobs fall in this occupation category.
46,079 Trades jobs in Ottawa,
representing 8% of all jobs
60% of construction jobs fall in the
Trades occupation category
39% of Trades jobs are in the
Construction sector
5% decline in jobs in this
occupation group from 2013 to 2014
Chart 22: Construction jobs by occupation, Ottawa, 2014
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
18,13861%
9,03830%
2,5259%
Specialty tradecontractors
Construction of buildings
Heavy and civilengineering construction
17,89260%4,249
14%
3,91413%
2,0367%
9854%
6242%
Trades, transport and equipmentoperators and related occupationsManagement occupations
Business, finance and administrativeoccupationsNatural and applied sciences andrelated occupationsSales and service occupations
Other
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 35
PRIORITY SECTORS
Detailed occupation information Sector jobs show only those jobs in the Construction sector, while the Trades occupations show all jobs
for a specific occupation, regardless of sector. Half of the occupations in the Top 10 industry and
Trades occupations show decline in the five-year view from 2012 to 2017.
Table 21: Top 10 Jobs in sector, # employed in industry, Ottawa, 2014 (and 5-year view)
2014 Jobs TOP TEN OCCUPATIONS IN INDUSTRY (# of jobs) 2012 Jobs in Industry
2017 Jobs in Industry
Change 2012-2017
% Change
2,467 Carpenters 1,826 2,581 755 41%
2,458 Construction trades helpers and labourers 2,207 2,534 327 15%
2,281 Residential home builders and renovators 3,058 2,211 (847) (28%)
1,373 Electricians (except industrial and power system) 1,627 1,353 (274) (17%)
1,125 Plumbers 897 1,205 308 34%
1,071 Construction managers 1,220 1,048 (172) (14%)
1,061 Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
1,485 992 (493) (33%)
912 Administrative officers 649 971 322 50%
793 Residential and commercial installers and servicers 814 801 (13) (2%)
784 Heavy equipment operators (except crane) 678 802 124 18%
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Table 22: Top 10 Trades occupations, # of jobs, Ottawa, 2014 (and 5-year view)
2014 Jobs TOP TEN TRADES OCCUPATIONS (# of jobs) 2012 Jobs 2017 Jobs Change
2012-2017 % Change
4,353 Truck drivers 4,609 4,425 (184) (4%)
3,685 Material handlers 2,986 3,863 877 29%
3,059 Carpenters 2,468 3,253 785 32%
2,914 Construction trades helpers and labourers 2,818 3,032 214 8%
2,753 Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers
2,566 2,674 108 4%
2,583 Bus drivers and subway and other transit operators 3,036 2,595 (441) (15%)
1,698 Electricians (except industrial and power system) 2,175 1,636 (539) (25%)
1,300 Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
1,863 1,152 (711) (38%)
1,271 Residential and commercial installers and servicers 1,443 1,259 (184) (13%)
1,265 Heavy equipment operators (except crane) 1,219 1,293 74 6%
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 36
PRIORITY SECTORS
Job changes in 2014 Increase in jobs for Material handlers for the second year in a row, after declines in 2011 and 2012, and
Automotive service technicians grew after two years of decline. Public works maintenance equipment
operators showed a big decline in 2014, returning to 2011 numbers after two years of high growth.
Table 23: Top 10 Growth Occupations, Trades, transport and equipment operators, Ottawa, 2013-14 Growth in
# of jobs TOP TEN GROWING OCCUPATIONS IN 2014 2013 Jobs 2014 Jobs % Growth
2013-14
456 Material handlers 3,229 3,685 14%
422 Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers
2,331 2,753 18%
323 Carpenters 2,736 3,059 12%
296 Truck drivers 4,057 4,353 7%
161 Supervisors, motor transport and other ground transit operators
565 726 28%
149 Other repairers and servicers 230 379 65%
113 Heavy equipment operators (except crane) 1,152 1,265 10%
109 Taxi and limousine drivers and chauffeurs 960 1,069 11%
103 Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics (except textile)
1,093 1,196 9%
95 Motor vehicle body repairers 398 493 24%
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Table 24: Top 10 Declining Occupations, Trades, transport and equipment operators, Ottawa, 2013-14 Decline in
# of jobs TOP TEN DECLINING OCCUPATIONS IN 2014 2013 Jobs 2014 Jobs % Growth
2013-14
(580) Public works maintenance equipment operators 1,088 508 (53%)
(444) Delivery and courier service drivers 1,398 954 (32%)
(238) Bus drivers and subway and other transit operators 2,821 2,583 (8%)
(234) Painters and decorators 792 558 (30%)
(229) Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
1,529 1,300 (15%)
(199) Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations
725 526 (27%)
(191) Construction trades helpers and labourers 3,105 2,914 (6%)
(170) Plumbers 1,428 1,258 (12%)
(166) Stationary engineers and auxiliary equipment operators 486 320 (34%)
(156) Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors 387 231 (40%)
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 37
PRIORITY SECTORS
Job demand (online job postings) Labour Market Ottawa subscribes to Job Demand Reports from Vicinity Jobs.
374 online job postings from July 2014 to the end of June 2015 were in the Construction sector (2%
of all postings)
Only 17% of job postings for Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations
were in the Construction sector (even though this sector represents 60% of jobs in this occupation
group)
What we heard from employers (highlights from the consultations)
Downturn in residential construction not fully tempered by commercial activity.
Continued decline is predicted by those interviewed.
Not difficult to find qualified workers, but not all have practical skills/experience required.
Predicted downturn could make it hard for young workers to get the sought-for experience.
Data show a general downturn in residential construction occupations, related to an overall downturn
in the residential sector that consultation participants felt will continue in coming years. Furthermore,
many participants did feel that the local construction industry as a whole has been experiencing, and
will continue to experience, a significant downturn. This seems to be tempered in the numbers by the
ongoing major construction projects such as the LRT tunnel and Queensway widening. This likely means
further reductions in job numbers are ahead, if participants’ opinions prove correct.
Participants did not generally report difficulties finding qualified workers. Skilled workers (those having
experience and practical skills) were a slightly different issue. While participants did not always describe
it in such terms, there is a clear difference between a qualified worker and a skilled worker for most
employers in the construction sector. Younger workers, or workers without Canadian experience, were
not perceived by participants to be likely to be skilled in a practical sense; they might have the
necessary qualifications to perform trade work, however. This is an important finding in relation to
overall dynamics in the sector’s labour market. One respondent indicated that “A lot of them are
qualified on paper, but not necessarily in their practical skills”.
This issue was often suggested to be generational, with younger workers generally being at the centre of
these issues. These workers might lack work ethic or, as discussed above, a practical ability to actually
do the physical work required. In a sector where a certain number of walls must be built under strict
timelines and to exacting quality, consultation participants reported it was difficult to find strong workers
who could be trusted to make sure the work gets done.
If the industry does experience a continued downturn, as consultation participants expect, this trend,
coupled with the broad perception that younger workers lack the practical skills required to perform
essential tasks, could pose challenges in ensuring sufficient numbers of skilled workers are available in
the future. Seniority and word-of-mouth were cited as crucial factors in achieving consistent
employment in the sector; this will make it difficult for younger workers trying to gain the experience
required to become “skilled” in an environment where, due to overall industry downturn, positions may
be scarce and labour abundant.
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 38
PRIORITY SECTORS
4. HOSPITALITY & TOURISM
Defining the "sector" Hospitality and tourism is not an industry sector as defined by NAICS codes. To try to get a sense of
broader hospitality and tourism jobs, we have focused on two sectors:
Accommodation and food services
36,350 sector jobs in Ottawa in 2014
6th largest industry sector out of 20 in
Ottawa with 6% of all jobs
3 out of 4 sector jobs are in Full-service
restaurants and limited-service eating places
2% increase in Ottawa jobs in 2014,
representing the fifth straight year of growth
Arts, entertainment and recreation
9,562 sector jobs in Ottawa in 2014
16th largest industry sector out of 20 in
Ottawa with 2% of all jobs
52% of the jobs are in Performing arts,
spectator sports and related industries
5% decrease in Ottawa jobs in 2014,
following two years of growth
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Labour market dynamics (identified in employer interviews) Several participants were interviewed as part of consultations with the hospitality and tourism sector,
ranging from small business owners in food services to large employers in the tourism industry. Most
represented the accommodation and food services industry. This sector as a whole is a somewhat
loose grouping of interrelated industries, reflected in the diverse nature of the organizations that
participated in consultations. Accommodation and food services saw an overall increase in jobs,
something participants felt was by and large the case in their organizations. They expected slow but
steady growth in the coming years, if expressing a lack of complete sureness in this prediction.
A focus on occupations For this sector, it is helpful to look at occupations in Sales and service and Arts, culture, recreation and
sport as more than three-quarters (79%) of Accommodation and food services and Arts, entertainment
and recreation jobs fall in these two occupation categories.
69% of Hospitality and Tourism
jobs are in Sales and service
26% of Sales and service jobs
are in this sector
21% of Art, culture, recreation
and sport jobs are in this sector
Stable Sales and service jobs
from 2013 to 2014
7% decline in Art, culture,
recreation and sport jobs in 2014
Chart 23: Hospitality & Tourism jobs by occupation, Ottawa, 2014
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
31,82669%
5,17911%
4,78010%
2,0955%
2,0325%
Sales and service occupations
Management occupations
Occupations in art, culture,recreation and sport
Business, finance andadministrative occupations
Other
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 39
PRIORITY SECTORS
Detailed occupation information Sector jobs show only those jobs in the Hospitality & Tourism sector, while the Occupation tables show all
jobs for a specific occupation, regardless of sector.
Table 25: Jobs in Accommodation and food services sector, Ottawa, 2014 (and 5-year view)
2014 Jobs TOP FIVE OCCUPATIONS IN INDUSTRY (# of jobs) 2012 Jobs in Industry
2017 Jobs in Industry
Change 2012-2017
% Change
8,771 Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related 9,267 8,872 (395) (4%)
4,947 Cooks 4,034 5,125 1,091 27%
4,043 Restaurant and food service managers 3,635 4,181 546 15%
3,745 Food and beverage servers 5,142 3,519 (1,623) (32%)
2,850 Cashiers 2,736 2,909 173 6%
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Table 26: Sales & service occupations, Ottawa, 2014 (and 5-year view)
2014 Jobs TOP FIVE OCCUPATIONS (# of jobs) 2012 Jobs 2017 Jobs Change 2012-2017
% Change
14,348 Retail salespersons and sales clerks 16,868 13,731 (3,137) (19%)
11,273 Cashiers 10,763 11,688 925 9%
10,203 Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related 11,128 10,392 (736) (7%)
6,066 Janitors, caretakers and building superintendents 6,839 6,180 (659) (10%)
5,671 Cooks 4,831 6,025 1,194 25% Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Table 27: Jobs in Arts, entertainment and recreation sector, Ottawa, 2014 (and 5-year view)
2014 Jobs TOP FIVE OCCUPATIONS IN INDUSTRY (# of jobs) 2012 Jobs in Industry
2017 Jobs in Industry
Change 2012-2017
% Change
1,510 Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness 1,383 1,510 1,545 162
677 Authors and writers 410 677 709 299
460 Operators and attendants in amusement, recreation and sport
409 460 459 50
351 Conference and event planners 242 351 369 127
289 Actors and comedians 181 289 296 115 Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Table 28: Arts, culture, recreation and sport occupations, Ottawa, 2014 (and 5-year view)
2014 Jobs TOP FIVE OCCUPATIONS (# of jobs) 2012 Jobs 2017 Jobs Change 2012-2017
% Change
4,666 Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness 3,853 5,025 1,172 30%
3,941 Professional occupations in public relations and communications 6,287 3,622 (2,665) (42%)
1,795 Graphic designers and illustrators 2,463 1,668 (795) (32%)
1,415 Translators, terminologists and interpreters 1,569 1,377 (192) (12%)
1,351 Authors and writers 1,180 1,312 132 11% Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 40
PRIORITY SECTORS
Job changes in 2014 Technical sales specialists saw the most growth from last year, recovering from two years of decline.
There was a big decline in real estate agents and salespersons (after two years of high growth) and
professional occupations in public relations and communications (continuing to decline since 2012).
Table 29: Top 5 Growth Occupations, Sales & service, Ottawa, 2013-14 Growth in
# of jobs TOP FIVE GROWING OCCUPATIONS IN 2014 2013 Jobs 2014 Jobs % Growth
2013-14
1,012 Technical sales specialists, wholesale trade 3,676 4,688 28%
982 Food service supervisors 941 1,923 104%
572 Retail trade supervisors 4,991 5,563 11%
441 Travel counsellors 885 1,326 50%
379 Hotel front desk clerks 828 1,207 46%
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Table 30: Top 5 Declining Occupations, Sales & service, Ottawa, 2013-14 Decline in
# of jobs TOP FIVE DECLINING OCCUPATIONS IN 2014 2013 Jobs 2014 Jobs % Growth
2013-14
(1,195) Real estate agents and salespersons 3,844 2,649 (31%)
(759) Janitors, caretakers and building superintendents 6,825 6,066 (11%)
(554) Retail salespersons and sales clerks 14,902 14,348 (4%)
(463) Food and beverage servers 4,621 4,158 (10%)
(442) Specialized cleaners 1,028 586 (43%)
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Table 31: Top 5 Growth Occupations, Arts, culture, recreation and sport, Ottawa, 2013-14 Growth in
# of jobs TOP TEN GROWING OCCUPATIONS IN 2014 2013 Jobs 2014 Jobs % Growth
2013-14
648 Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport, fitness 4,018 4,666 16%
222 Interior designers 748 970 30%
188 Actors and comedians 179 367 105%
167 Sports officials and referees 196 363 85%
147 Musicians and singers 1,109 1,256 13%
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
Table 32: Top 5 Declining Occupations, Arts, culture, recreation and sport, Ottawa, 2013-14 Decline in
# of jobs TOP TEN DECLINING OCCUPATIONS IN 2014 2013 Jobs
2014 Jobs % Growth
2013-14
(1,604) Professional occupations in public relations and communications
5,545 3,941 (29%) (1,604)
(326) Producers, directors, choreographers and related 1,152 826 (28%) (326)
(320) Editors 1,175 855 (27%) (320)
(314) Library and archive technicians and assistants 890 576 (35%) (314)
(300) Graphic designers and illustrators 2,095 1,795 (14%) (300)
Source: EMSI Analyst, 2015
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 41
PRIORITY SECTORS
Job demand (online job postings) Labour Market Ottawa subscribes to Job Demand Reports from Vicinity Jobs.
645 online job postings from July 2014 to end of June 2015 were in Accommodation and Food
Services sector; 4% of all postings.
32 postings were in the Arts, Entertainment and Recreation sector; less than 1% of all postings.
What we heard from employers (highlights from the consultations)
Labour market seen as stable and predictable, with heavy seasonal fluctuations.
Supplement core of full-time employees with youth employment during peak periods.
Little difficulty finding workers; however, many feel that youth need to be instilled with work ethic
but the employer takes the time to train on soft skills instead of returning to the labour market.
Participants in consultations in this industry generally perceived the sector’s labour market as stable and
predictable. Many organizations saw heavy seasonal fluctuations in their staff sizes, with the expected
sizeable increases in staff during the summer and then reductions through winter. Participants from both
small and large organizations indicated a similar approach to structuring their organizations’ workforce;
a core of full-time, permanent employees remained throughout the year, and often for many years,
and was supplemented with largely student or youth employment during peak periods, generally
summer.
In general, participants reported little difficulty finding workers in this sector. Issues generally focused on
the youth of many of the workers. These were challenges related to, for example, reliability; younger
student workers might not show up on time, or at all, with the needed level of reliability. However, one
participant indicated this was to be expected, and that part of their role as an employer of youth was
to help develop these characteristics in employees. The participant said:
We have a lot of young kids, so I start them at around 15. A lot of them come in, they’re quiet,
they’re shy, and by the time they leave they are all of a sudden outgoing and personable…my
biggest job is making sure that they’re off their phones all day, and they’re not allowed to have their
phones. So I’m always watching them and I try to instill that work ethic… and I try and put it into
them, so that they know that this [the phone] is not reality. Reality is what I’m doing here, this
[business] is reality.
—Small Hospitality and Tourism Employer
Similar elements to this approach were apparent with many of the participating employers, including
those from large organizations. There was an apparent understanding that, as the labour force relied
on these seasonal youth workers, the employers had little choice but to try and develop and retain the
best ones. This meant, for participants, working with staff to improve soft skills that they might lack,
rather than returning to the external labour market to find new workers who might in the end prove to
have similar problems.
2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Update 42
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
CONFERENCE BOARD OF CANADA ECONOMIC OUTLOOK It should be noted that the Conference Board outlook looks at both the Ontario and Quebec side of
Ottawa-Gatineau, whereas the rest of this report hones in on just the Ontario side.
Sector and Labour Forecast, Fall 2015
12th out of 13 – Just like the previous year, Ottawa-Gatineau’s overall economic growth surpassed
only Victoria amongst the 13 metropolitan areas reported in 2014 with 0.8% growth.
0.7% growth is forecast for 2015 (placing Ottawa 11th out of 13 for the 2015 forecast); this forecast
has been adjusted downward by 0.6% from the Spring 2015 forecast of 1.3%.
The Conference Board of Canada forecasts employment growth in 4 out of 7 sectors for Ottawa-
Gatineau in 2015. Industrial is expected to have the greatest growth rate, at 12.1%, while Office is
forecasted to see the greatest decline (-3.1%).
Chart 24: Employment Outlook, Ottawa-Gatineau
Source: Conference Board of Canada, Metropolitan Outlook, Fall 2015
Highlights from Conference Board of Canada's Fall 2015 Economic Outlook:
<1% GDP growth for fourth straight year; 1.6% growth is forecast for 2016
1.8% job gain for Ottawa-Gatineau in 2014 did not fully make up for 2% drop in 2013 but
exceeded the forecasted growth of 1.6%
Public administration employment forecast to increase from 2016 to 2019, albeit slowly; was
unchanged in 2014 (as opposed to the decline forecasted), with a slight decline forecast for 2015
Non-residential construction sector will be busy for the foreseeable future; residential continues to
hurt due to weak employment and oversupply in the condominium sector
Business services (includes high-tech sector) has seen modest growth in recent years with 0.8%
forecast in 2015 (down from the Spring forecast of 2.4%); expected to accelerate to 2.6% in 2016.
0.3
12.1
-3.1
-1.5
2.8
-1.8
2.1
-10 0 10 20
Total
Industrial
Office
Trans. & ware.
W&R trade
Personal ser.
Non-com. ser.
2015 (annual growth rate)
EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK
1.4
-0.02
1.5
2.4
0.4
2.7
1.9
-1 0 1 2 3
Total
Industrial
Office
Trans.& ware.
W&R trade
Personal ser.
Non-com. ser.
2016-19 (average annual compound growth rate)
2014-2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Plan 43
EO CLIENT SNAPSHOT
WHAT IT IS In June 2015, MTCU provided the local board with aggregate Employment Ontario (EO) program data
as an input into local planning, representing activity from April 2014 to March 2015. Labour Market
Ottawa has consulted with the Employment Ontario Ottawa Network, Literacy and Basic Skills, and its
Labour Market Service Delivery Committee to discuss the implications of the data for local labour
market planning.
Information was provided for:
Employment Services (ES), Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS), Second Career (SC), Apprenticeship
We chose to focus on the ES, SC and Apprenticeship data as the most directly related to the labour
market. As not all of the information is mandatory, the data is incomplete, but we highlight those pieces
that provide the most insight into Employment Ontario's clients and how they fit in the labour market.
SETTING THE CONTEXT 2014 annual data on Ottawa's
unemployed population provides a
view of 2014-15 potential EO clients.
Ottawa's Unemployed
59% of Ottawa's unemployed
in 2014 were male (up from
56% in 2013)
1 in 3 of total unemployed
were males aged 15-44
42% increase in unemployed
males aged 15-24 from 2013
(up from 15% share to 21%
share)
18% decrease in
unemployed males 45 and
over from 2013 (down from
23% share to 18% share)
41% of Ottawa's unemployed
were female (down from 44%
in 2013)
21% increase in unemployed
females 25-54 from 2013 (rose
from 22% share to 26% share)
Chart 25: Unemployed Population Pyramid, 2014
Source: Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada, CANSIM Table 282-0129, 2015
16%
19%
8%
6%
1%
16%
19%
8%
6%
1%
21%
21%
10%
6%
2%
10%
18%
8%
4%
1%
15-24
25-44
45-54
55-64
65+
Percent of total unemployed in city (both sexes)
Ottawa Females Ottawa Males Toronto Females Toronto Males
MALES FEMALES
59%
Ottawa
50%
Toronto 41%
Ottawa 50%
Toronto
2014-2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Plan 44
EO CLIENT SNAPSHOT
WHO IS ACCESSING EMPLOYMENT SERVICES? MTCU describes Employment Services (ES) as "the gateway for other EO programs and services. The
majority of Second Career (SC) clients, some apprenticeship, as well as some Literacy and Basic Skills
clients have accessed ES".
MTCU also provided data on Resource and
Information (R&I) clients. R&I services are
available to all members of the community
including the employed, job seekers, students,
apprentices, and employers. There is no eligibility
or access criteria for R&I; whereas ES assisted
clients need to qualify. The R&I data represents
the number of people registered for workshops
and information sessions; “turnstile” data on
number of drop-ins is not reported here.
Ottawa's ES Highlights
25,699 used Employment Centres' Resource
and Information Services (representing
workshop and information session registrants)
10,683 clients signed up for ES Assisted
Service
Represents a 3% increase from the number
of ES Assisted Service Clients seen in 2013-14
How Old Are They?
314 more clients in 2014-15 than
in 2013-14, with increases in all
age groups except 45-64 (decline
of 168)
47% of clients served fall in the
25-44 age group (down from 48%
in 2013)
418 more clients served in the
15-24 age group than in 2013-14
Represents an 18% increase in
clients aged 15-24 from 2013-14
3 percentage point decrease in
share of clients aged 45-64
Chart 26: ES Assisted Clients by Age Group, 2014-15
(with percent share of total clients)
Source: EO custom data provided by MTCU
Chart 27: ES Assisted Clients by
Gender, 2014-15
What is Their Gender?
52% of ES assisted clients in 2014-15 were male (up from
51% in 2013)
This slight increase likely reflects the 3% increase in the
share of the unemployed population in Ottawa who are
male (from 56% in 2013 to 59% in 2014)
Source: EO custom data provided by MTCU
2,273
4,949
2,903
76
2,691
5,002
3,071
87
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
15-24 25-44 45-64 65 and older2013-14 2014-15
47% 27% 1%25%
Male
52%
Female
48%
2014-2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Plan 45
EO CLIENT SNAPSHOT
Are Ottawa's unemployed accessing ES services?
28% of the unemployed population became ES assisted clients in 2014-15 (vs. 29% in 2013-14)
34% of unemployed aged 25-44 years old became ES assisted clients in 2014-15 (down from 41%)
23% of the 15-24 year old unemployed population became ES assisted clients in 2014-15 (up from
13% in 2012-13 and 21% in 2013-14)
The chart below shows the proportion of unemployed in each age group that are ES Assisted Clients. In
the fall of 2013, Employment Ontario rolled out the Youth Employment Fund, targeted at 15-29 year olds.
The improvement since 2012-13 in the share of unemployed youth (aged 15 to 24) who are ES assisted
clients may very well point to the success of that program in helping Employment Ontario reach more
unemployed youth.
Chart 28: Unemployed Population and ES Assisted Service Clients by AGE GROUP, Ottawa
(with percentages of unemployed population who are clients)
Source: CANSIM table 282-0129 and Custom data provided by Employment Ontario
LITERACY & BASIC SKILLS LEARNERS
Ottawa's LBS In-Person Learners at a Glance
2,048 in-person learners in 2014-15, up 226 from 2013-14
This represents 12% growth in the number of in-person learners from 2013-14
61% of all learners were female (similar to 2013-14)
Almost half (45%) of all learners fell in the 25 to 44 year age group
2013-14 percentages
2014-15 percentages
2014-2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Plan 46
EO CLIENT SNAPSHOT
ES CLIENTS AND EMPLOYMENT
From where did ES Assisted Clients come and where did they end up?
7,104 ES assisted clients had an outcome at exit of employment
MTCU provided data for the
7,104 ES assisted clients whose
outcome at exit was
employment. The table to the
right highlights the Top 10
Laid off groups of occupations
(2-digit NOC) and the Top 10
Laid off industries.
The data for employed
outcome was not as robust, as
providing this data is not
mandatory in MTCU's reporting
system, and the data
provided did not include any
data collected during follow-
ups post-exit.
Table 33: Top 10 Laid off Occupation Groups / Industries & Top 5
Outcome Occupations Groups / Industries
Top 10 Laid off Occupation Groups Top 10 Laid off Industries
472 Service support and other service occupations, n.e.c.
Accommodation and food services 722
387 Administrative and financial supervisors and administrative occupations
Professional, scientific and technical services
683
385 Service representatives and other customer and personal services occupations
Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services
505
359 Trades helpers, construction labourers and related occupations
Retail trade 496
337 Service supervisors and specialized service occupations
Other services (except public administration)
479
322 Office support occupations Construction 413
263 Professional occupations in natural and applied sciences
Health care and social assistance 400
221 Sales representatives and salespersons - wholesale and retail trade
Manufacturing 344
188 Sales support occupations Educational services 249
179 Technical occupations related to natural and applied sciences
Public administration 200
It is interesting to note,
however, that several
occupation groups and
industries appeared in the top
five on both lists, which would
seem to point to high turnover
in these sectors, as opposed
to an overall decline in jobs.
These occupation groups and
industries are highlighted in
bold.
Top 5 Outcome Occupation
Groups
Top 5 Outcome Industries
47 Service representatives and other customer and personal services occupations
Retail trade 65
36 Sales representatives and salespersons - wholesale and retail trade
Administrative and support, waste
management and remediation services 50
34 Professional occupations in natural and applied sciences
Health care and social assistance 50
33 Service support and other service occupations, n.e.c.
Professional, scientific and technical
services 44
25 Specialized middle management occupations
Public administration 32
Source: Custom data provided by Employment Ontario
2014-2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Plan 47
EO CLIENT SNAPSHOT
SECOND CAREER PROGRAM Ottawa's Second Career clients at a glance
402 Second Career clients in 2014-15 (up from 381 in 2013-14), showing an increase of 6%
54% of Second Career clients were aged 25-44 (similar to the 57% in this age group in 2013-14)
Table 34: Number of clients in Top 5 Second Career Programs (& Ottawa Occupation Outlooks)
Programs 2012 Jobs 2013 Jobs 2014 Jobs 2016 Jobs
Forecast
Change
2012-16
% Change
2012-16
67 Transport truck drivers 4,649 4,188 4,443 4,420 -229 -5%
36 Computer network technicians 2,688 2,694 3,649 3,757 1,069 40%
24 Administrative officers 9,948 9,413 9,539 9,638 -310 -3%
23 Social and community service workers 2,291 2,981 3,260 3,365 1,074 47%
20 Paralegal and related occupations 3,096 2,593 2,698 2,680 -416 -13%
Source: Custom data provided by Employment Ontario; EMSI Analyst 2015
APPRENTICESHIPS Ottawa's Apprenticeships at a glance
27 is the average age of apprentices at registration (average was 28 in 2013-14)
477 Certificates of Apprenticeships (CoAs) issued (down from 859 in 2013-14 – decline of 44%)
109 Modular Training Registrations (down from 151 in 2013-14), showing decline of 28%
1,763 new registrations (up from 1,699 in 2013-14), showing growth of 4%
4,739 active apprentices (down from 7,901 in 2013-14), showing decline of 40%
Table 35: Number of clients in Top 5 Trades by New Registrations (& Ottawa Occupation Outlooks)
New Registrations 2012 Jobs 2013 Jobs 2014 Jobs 2016 Jobs
Forecast
Change
2012-16
% Change
2012-16
304 Automotive service technician 2,568 2,326 2,741 2,683 115 5%
222 Electrician - Construction and maintenance 2,183 1,842 1,704 1,653 -530 -24%
161 Hairstylist 2,307 2,454 2,666 2,635 328 14%
134 General carpenter 2,477 2,748 3,055 3,190 713 29%
131 Plumber 1,097 1,439 1,263 1,364 267 24%
Source: Custom data provided by Employment Ontario; EMSI Analyst 2015
2014-2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Plan 48
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2015 EMPLOYER CONSULTATIONS One of the objectives of the employer interviews conducted in summer/fall 2015 was to get employer
perspectives on how they currently, and would like to, engage with local employment service providers.
They were asked whether they have had past experience working with service providers who work with
job seekers, and about the nature of these experiences if they have. Participants were also asked
about their general level of awareness of the programs and services available to them, as employers. It
was explained to participants that the employment services community is working to improve
“employer engagement,” and that this meant building a relationship with employers as both partners
and clients; participants were asked for their perspectives on what such relationships might look like.
Finally, participants were asked if they had ever participated in an advisory role with any local service
providers, and if they would be willing to do so in the future if they had not already.
As part of the interview research methodology, Labour Market Ottawa purposefully reached out to a
range of employers, including those with whom we have worked in the past, as well as ones that
entailed cold calls. This was done to reduce bias in responses – we did not want to be reaching out to
only those who were already engaged. Key findings are shown below, with detailed results included in
the full report.
Awareness of and experience with service providers Based on the discussions with participants around these topics, it became evident that, amongst those
consulted, there is a very low awareness of the employment services sector—both of the programs and
services it offers and the service providers that make it up. Participants, with some notable exceptions
discussed below, tended to conflate all employment related services—training, wage subsidies or
grants, recruitment, screening, diversity awareness programs, etc.—as initiatives of “government.”
This would not necessarily be an issue had participants felt they had a better understanding of the
programs and services this sector provides. Participants were asked to gauge their own, or their
organizations’, understanding of the programs and services the employment services sector offers and
generally reported feeling that they were not very well informed. Participants found it difficult to
understand who does what in employment services, unsurprising given the multitude of service providers
in the sector and the overlap of some programs and services between providers. Lacking any central
point of contact with which to begin to understand local employment services, participants often felt as
though too much time and effort was required from them in order to get a grip on the main actors in
this sector and the roles they play. The overall level of confusion caused by a lack of a clear centralized
body serving as point of contact was seen as a barrier to accessing programs and services. Participants
usually reported wishing they did have a better understanding of the employment services sector, as
they did feel there might be benefit to their organizations were they better able to leverage hiring and
training related programs and services.
014-2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Plan 49
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT
The relatively few participants who did show a strong awareness and understanding of the work done
by the employment services sector usually indicated having strong working relationships with several
local service providers. For example, some participants described having partnerships with educational
institutions to help meet training needs, or with local community organizations to increase workforce
diversity; generally these participants also gave favourable reviews of their experiences with these
programs and services.
Indeed participant responses to these questions tended towards one extreme or the other; they either
had a very low awareness of programs and services and had almost no experience with the
employment services sector, or had extensive awareness and much experience.
Increasing employer engagement
PERSPECTIVES OF EMPLOYERS ALREADY ENGAGED
Participants reporting past experience with the employment services sector generally exhibited some
similar perspectives. These participants tended to be highly aware of the broader issues facing the local
labour market—they would speak about youth unemployment, issues surrounding newcomer
settlement and integration to the workforce, and often expressed some level of concern about these
issues and the broader future of the local workforce. They would often cite these concerns as at least
part of the reason for their involvement with the employment services sector. The benefits derived by
their organization due to their participation with a community initiative, or involvement with a program,
were not usually presented as the primary reason for their engagement. These participants also
generally felt that the reason they understood the sector so well was because they had taken the
initiative, usually as individuals, to do so.
Participants from larger organizations that indicated strong engagement with the service provider
community also acknowledged the importance of their organizational culture being one which
encouraged them to build such partnerships. In simple terms, these participants needed managers
who were willing to approve time spent away from “core” functions in order to participate, for example,
on the board of a local community program. Based on the results of these consultations, then, it is
apparent that both organizational culture and individual inclination were the driving factors of an
employer’s engagement with the employment services sector.
PERSPECTIVES OF EMPLOYERS NOT YET ENGAGED
Most participants in consultations were less engaged with the employment services sector than might
be hoped. Indeed when asked what the sector might be able to do for them, as clients, the majority of
participants said they did not know—they usually were so unfamiliar with the sector as a whole that they
had trouble imagining what services it might be able to provide them.
This is not to say that these participants were less aware or concerned about local workforce and
community trends, or that their organizations were necessarily less open to working with service
providers. Usually, during the course of the interviews, participants would have several questions about
the employment services sector, and when provided with some basic information they expressed
interest in programs and services. Almost all employers expressed a willingness to participate in an
014-2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Plan 50
EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT
advisory capacity with local service providers if it would benefit the local community. However they
often felt it would be difficult for them to do so, usually due the constraints on their time resulting from
high workloads. In fewer cases, they did indicate they felt they would be unlikely to gain approval from
their supervisors or management for such participation, even if they personally felt it would be of
benefit.
A STRONG AWARENESS CAMPAIGN IS REQUIRED
If the employment services provider community does wish to better “engage employers,” then, it seems,
based on consultation results, that a strong awareness campaign is necessary. Despite concerns in the
employment services sector that employers feel bombarded with requests for participation in this or that
program, few participants reported this experience. Many participants explicitly stated that more
“employer engagement” from the sector would mean developing a better awareness amongst
employers of the programs and services it offers.
IDENTIFYING AND SHARING BUSINESS BENEFITS IS KEY TO ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS
However participants who had few past experiences with the sector were generally more concerned
with whether or not engagement with it would bring their organization any business benefits. Engaged
participants, as mentioned, tended to be less concerned with business benefits and more with the
perhaps less tangible, but nonetheless important, benefits of building organizational diversity,
contributing positively to the community, and deriving a level of personal satisfaction from their work.
It would be fruitful to conduct further consultations with these highly engaged participants, and other
highly engaged employers, to try to better understand what drives their engagement. Based on these
consultations, it appears unlikely that the usual selling points that the sector advertises—business benefits
in terms of lower recruitment costs, or from wage subsidies, for example—are as likely to resonate and
prove fruitful, as the engaged participants tended to care more about the positive social benefits of
working with service providers above the business case for their involvement.
2014-2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Plan 51
ACTION PLAN UPDATE
FINAL 2014-15 DELIVERABLES Local Labour Market Planning Update Report (October 14, 2014)
Partnership Commitments – Partnership Project EMP #1 Employer Engagement
Partnership Commitments – Partnership Project WD#1 Service Coordination
2014-15 Local Labour Market
Planning Report - This product will
include an interpretation of supply
and demand labour market
information, a process of
consultations with local
stakeholders, service providers and
employers and the development
of an action plan with a three year
outlook, and an update on the
2014-15 action plan. Both the
overall report and sector-specific
reports will be provided on the
Labour Market Ottawa website in
French and English, along with
other updated LMI.
Start a dialogue around
Employment Service Coordination
to improve the "employer
experience" with employment-
related services across Ottawa.
Conduct a preliminary survey to
inform a Service Provider Leadership
Forum with service providers and
stakeholders in Ottawa which will
result in a Discussion Paper to be
brought forth to funders. Hold a
Dialogue Forum with funders and
service providers to share funders'
response and jointly action plan on
next steps to improve the "employer
experience".
Employment Service Coordination -
Implement Year 2 of the Service
Coordination Workplan approved in
Spring 2013 to work toward the
MTCU-defined outcome - In each
community, the assessment and
referral process ensures that the
client pathway to employment is
seamless. Clients can access the
right community services and
programs, the first time, to address
their specific needs. The exact
deliverables, timelines and
measurable results will be identified
in Winter 2014 as per the approved
workplan.
Ongoing consultations with the
LMPC and LMSDC - quarterly
meetings.
Sector-specific consultations
with at least 5-10 additional
employers/stakeholders
focused on each sector.
Conducted 6 consultations.
Comprehensive review of
supply and demand data, using
EMSI Analyst, Jobs Demands
Reports, EO data provided by
MTCU and additional data
released from the 2011 NHS.
User-friendly reports/tools
prepared for analysis shared
online. 2014-15 Labour Market
Plan published; 2014
occupation outlooks and
Ottawa's Top Jobs, sector and
population reports completed.
A survey across employment-
related services to inform a
Service Provider Leadership
Forum to start dialogue on this
issue. A survey was conducted
with 40 respondents that
informed a Leadership Forum
with 21 attendees.
A discussion paper to bring
forward to funders. A Dialogue
Forum to respond to discussion
paper and develop a joint
action plan. Paper was vetted
with 25 Job Developers and
submitted to MTCU in
December. Two Dialogue
Forums were held, one with 30
attendees and one with 21
attendees. Action Plan vetted.
An Employer Map of Ottawa's
employment programs and
services – draft Employer
Roadmap developed; to be
finalized with Employer
Engagement Team #2 in 2015.
2014-15 action plan shared and
validated with Advisory Groups;
finalized by Strategic Working
Group.
Formed Implementation teams to
address each major area of
action
1. Common client continuum (8
members) – Employability model
research report and “Job Seeker
Worksheet” product developed
in English and French (distributed
to 300+ service providers)
2. Service provider expo (10
members + 6 Ops Team
members) – Building Connections
event - 275 participants + 50
employers/ stakeholders joining
for Open House; 42 speakers/
panelists; 55 service provider
booths (92% satisfaction rating).
3. Quick reference sheets (8
members) – Prepared for 66
Organizations, 8 Programs, one
sample each for Targeted
Services, Supporting Services and
Hot Topic - shared with more
than 300 service providers.
ADDITIONAL PARTNERSHIP PROJECT - OPEN DOORS: Learning & Earning in the 21st Century - 235 parents and
students attended an evening for parents and students to engage with educators and employers to explore labour
market trends and share real-life experiences to help navigate the evolving “world of work”. Five employers and
four educators on panel. Partnership with All Saints High School and Algonquin College. 93% satisfaction rating.
2014-2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Plan 52
2015-16 ACTION PLAN
2015-16 ACTION PLAN AT-A-GLANCE With the shift from March to October publication of the labour market plans, the three-year action plan
published last October was adjusted because proposed actions for 2015-16 were developed with our
community partners and stakeholder over the winter of 2015. Below, we show the resulting action plan
that was developed as part of these consultations and approved by the LMSDC and LMPC in March
2015.
2014-15 Action Plan and Structure
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE
30 confidential employer interviews were conducted to explore workforce trends with local
employers.
More than 160 people have signed up for workshops taking place in fall 2015.
LMO Project Manager and Coordinator visited more than 70 sites across the city to meet with
community partners working with job seekers and students on our first annual "road show" in fall
2015.
Launched Twitter with 70 followers in the first three months.
Labour Market Planning Enhance and leverage LabourMarketOttawa.ca
website
Annual update of local labour market plan
Annual update of Ottawa's Occupation Outlooks, Ottawa's Top Jobs, and Industry/Occupation Spotlights
Quarterly updates of Jobs Demand Reports
Leverage existing employer networks and events to bring LMI to employers, as opposed to only inviting them to our events
Roll out Understanding LMI Tutorial to service providers, including EO centres and schools
LMO: Launch bi-monthly newsletter and social media LMO: Map organizations/programs to funders; show who offers employer and/or job seeker services LMO: Respond to ad hoc research and speaking requests (sharing findings on LabourMarketOttawa.ca)
Service Coordination Team #1: Roll out training around
the Job Seeker Worksheet and ensure its links to the service provider portal are maintained and updated annually
Team #2: Hold the second annual “Building Connections” event and continue to broaden existing network
LMO: Update Quick Reference Sheets
LMO: Continue to enhance and leverage ottawajobpath.ca
More partnerships, learning, sharing best practices and tools, collaboration, coordination of referral process
Labour Market Service Delivery Committee (LMSDC) Annual planning/quarterly consultations
Employer Engagement Team #1: Hold the first annual
Employer Expo that highlights Ottawa's employment programs and services
Team #2: Develop and market Quick Reference Sheets for employers around programs and services
Team #3: Employer Engagement Interviews & Employer One Survey
LMO: Annual update and ongoing marketing of the Employer Roadmap to employment services and programs in Ottawa
LMO: Enhance and leverage ottawastaffingtoolkit.ca
Validate proposed actions with employers and actively engage them in
the process moving forward
Labour Market Planning Committee(LMPC) Annual planning/quarterly consultations
Create a forum to share information across all the Employment Ontario service providers (ES, LBS, EAS, SEB and Local Board); bring forward Employer Engagement actions that require collaboration between two or more programs
Brenda BedfordProject Coordinator
Labour Market Ottawa administration
Thomas SwerdfagerResearch Lead
Ingrid ArgyleProject Manager
Eric CapponResearch Assistant
Work placement studentProject Assistant
014-2015 Ottawa Local Labour Market Plan 53
2015-16 ACTION PLAN
PRIORITY ACTION AREAS (2015-16 deliverables) Here we highlight the 2015-16 deliverables as published in the three-year action plan last fall.
#1 Ongoing Local Labour Market Planning
#2 Employer Engagement (service coordination from the perspective of employer as client)
#3 Service Coordination (service coordination from the perspective of job seeker as client)
Labour Market Ottawa continues
to serve as a hub for local labour
market information and further
engages employers and service
providers in local labour market
planning.
Labour Market Ottawa leads the
implementation of the actions to be
developed jointly by service providers
and funders in March 2015 to enhance
the experience of employers as "clients"
of Employment Ontario and broader
employment-related service providers
across Ottawa.
Labour Market Ottawa continues to
lead the implementation of actions
identified in the three-year service
coordination plan and facilitates the
ongoing planning process to build on
the actions taken in 2014-15 and to
address any gaps in the coordination
of services for job seekers.
• Hold discussions with LMPC
and LMSDC members to
ensure ongoing engagement
• Continue to enhance and
leverage
LabourMarketOttawa. ca
website
• Annual update of local labour
market plan
• Annual update of Ottawa's
Occupation Outlooks,
Ottawa's Top Jobs, and
Sector Updates
• Quarterly updates of Jobs
Demand Reports
• Leverage existing employer
networks and events to bring
LMI to employers, as opposed
to only inviting them to our
events
• Roll out Understanding LMI
Tutorial to service providers,
including EO centres and
schools
• Continue to work with the Strategic
Working Group to guide ongoing
activities
• Validate proposed actions with
employers and actively engage
them in the process moving forward
(engage the LMPC)
• Form Implementation Teams to
action items identified for Year One
in joint action plan being developed
by EO services providers and funder
in March 2015
• Identify actions to take to broaden
the scope of employer engagement
beyond the Employment Ontario-
funded organizations and to engage
with other funders as required
• Hold the first annual Employer Expo
that highlights Ottawa's employment
programs and services
• Develop and market Quick
Reference Sheets for employers
around programs and services
• Annual update and ongoing
marketing of the Employer Roadmap
to employment services and
programs in Ottawa
• Enhance and leverage
ottawa staffingtoolkit.ca
• Continue to work with the
Strategic Working Group to guide
the ongoing activities
• Continue to work with
Implementation Teams as
required to action the items
identified for Year Three of the
Service Coordination Plan (to be
identified by March 2015)
• Engage in annual planning of
required next steps
• Market the Common Client
Continuum and ensure its links to
the service provider portal are
maintained and updated
annually
• Hold the second annual Ottawa
Service Provider Expo and
continue to broaden existing
network
• Update the Quick Reference
Sheets
• Implement any other actions
identified in March 2015 to
achieve desired future state:
- Roll-out Job Seeker
Worksheet Training
• Continue to enhance and
leverage ottawa jobpath.ca
Expected outcomes
Employers and service providers
actively engaged in ongoing
planning, with ready access to the
labour market information that will
most help them address labour
market supply and demand.
Expected outcomes
Employers have a good understanding
of available programs/services and are
actively engaging with service providers
and they are working effectively
together to address their employment-
related needs.
Expected outcomes
Service providers are continually
engaging with each other, and with
funders, to work toward the service
coordination goal of providing a
seamless pathway to employment for
job seekers.