ROGER SAUVÉ – The People of Cornwall and SD&G – A 10 week feature for the Cornwall Free News – Week 9 – This is what we do for a living – January 15, 2010

ROGER SAUVÉ – The People of Cornwall and SD&G – A 10 week feature for the Cornwall Free News – Week 9 – This is what we do for a living

There are basically two ways to classify what we do for a living. At the SD&G level, the 2006 Census provides a list of 23 major industries and 60 detailed occupations. The two can be linked. Someone who works in a retail outlet is in the retail trade industry. The biggest occupations in the retail trade industry are salespersons, managers, cashiers with some of the smaller occupations being mechanics and health professionals.

About 12% of all SD&G workers are self-employed, with or without employees, with the rest being wage earners. Those occupations that are most likely to be self employed are occupations in agriculture (62%) and professional occupations in health (60%). The most likely to be wage earners are teachers, professors and nurses, where virtually all receive regular pay cheques.

The number one industry in SD&G is still manufacturing, employing over 8,000 people.

The next nine top industries are; retail trade (6,000 workers), health and social assistance (5,800), construction (3,900), transportation and warehousing (3,800), educational services (3,700), administration and support (3,400), public administration (3,100), accommodation and food services (3,100) and agriculture (2,700). Of the 23 industries, the smallest industry is mining where only 40 people worked in 2006.

At a detailed level, the largest occupations are clerical (7,700), transportation equipment operators (2,600), occupations unique to agriculture (2,500) and teachers and professors (2,200). Fewer than 50 people are employed in forestry occupations.

Let’s take a quick look at employment earnings of people who work full-time (30 hours or more per week) for a full year (49-52 weeks).

In 2006, their average earnings were $42,100. Average earnings were $21,100 for those aged 15-24, increased to $41,400 at ages 25-44 and hit their peak at 45-64 at $46,300 and dropped to $21,500 among those aged 65 and older.

Women earned 79% of what men did in 2006.

Roger Sauvé is President of People Patterns Consulting (www.peoplepatternsconsulting.com). Roger is an economist and demographer and lives in Summerstown.

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1 Comment

  1. “Women earned 79% of what men did in 2006”
    So if Jane and Ahmed both worked the counter at Tim Hortons, both started the same day, both performed the same duties, their salary would be different?

    Apples to apples please.

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