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Labour Force

The industrial base of Kamloops and the Thompson Shuswap is well diversified and has enjoyed job growth in most sectors, especially the service industries. The area is comprised of a very diverse economy and is not dependent on any one HP Call Centreindustry. According to the 2009 BC Stats Labour Force Annual Characteristics, Kamloops has a well-educated diverse labour force of more than 54,000 workers (15+) who support a wide range of economic sectors.

The largest portion of the working population in the Kamloops area is employed in the retail trade industry and service sectors. The top four industry sectors by number of workers in Kamloops are manufacturing (7.1%), health care (11%) construction (7.9%) and accommodation and retail (12.7%).

                   

Industry Analysis

Click here to see the economic sectors profile of Kamloops.

Employment by Sector

Kamloops has an experienced labour force of more than 60,000 workers. Two-thirds are employed in the goods servicing sector and one-third are employed in the goods producing sector.

Economic Structure - Number of Firms, by Sector, by Employment Size, December 2008

2 Economic Structure - Number of Firms, by Sector, by Employment Size, December 2008 
NAICS Code Industry Sector based on NAICS Canada (North American Industrial Classification System)  Thompson/Okanagan British Columbia
Firms with No Employees Firms with Employees  With Employees
Less than 20 20 to 49  50 to 199  200 Plus  All Sizes with Emp.  Percent of Total   Percent of Total All Sizes 
  Total, All Industries 21,581 19,602  1,732  685  84  22,103  100.0%  100.0%  175,003 
11  Agric., Forestry, Fishing & Hunt  1,561  1,395  77  31  0  1,503  6.8%  4.0%  7,009 
21  Mining & Oil & Gas Extract  89  80  20  2  1  103  0.5%  0.6%  1,071 
22  Utilities  32  33  5  3 0  41  0.2%  0.1%  203 
23  Construction  4,061  3,268  192  64  2  3,526  16.0%  12.1%  21,108 
31  Manufacturing (31-33)  531  795  128  70  16  1,009  4.6%  4.5%  7,879 
41  Wholesale Trade  700  898  110  18  1  1,027  4.6%  5.9%  10,359 
44  Retail Trade (44-45)  1,273  2,423  275  112  14  2,824  12.8%  11.9%  20,742 
48  Transp. & Warehousing (48-49)  1,027  813  74  24  5  916  4.1%  4.4%  7,734 
51  Information & Cultural Indust.  150  169  19  13  0  201  0.9%  1.4%  2,412 
52  Finance & Insurance  1,501  690  88  20  0  798  3.6%  3.8%  6,564 
53  Real Estate & Rental & Leasing  3,443  919  17  7  0  943  4.3%  4.5%  7,835 
54  Profes'nl, Scientif. & Tech. Srv  2,341  1,716  66  12  0  1,794  8.1%  11.0%  19,278 
55  Mgmt. of Companies & Enter.  1,430  277  15  10  4  306  1.4%  1.6%  2,818 
56  Admin. & Sup'rt, Waste Mgmt.  810  950  57  27  1  1,035  4.7%  4.9%  8,513 
61  Educational Services  178  176  16  13  13  218  1.0%  1.4%  2,363 
62  Health Care & Social Assistance  430  1,700  122  59  8  1,889  8.5%  8.4%  14,773 
71  Arts, Entertainment & Recreation  282  295  53  27  4  379  1.7%  1.6%  2,873 
72  Accom. & Food Services  585  1,135  320  133  7  1,595  7.2%  6.7%  11,639 
81  Other Serv's (ex. Public Admin.)  1,155  1,823  57  11  1  1,892  8.6%  10.9%  19,095 
91  Public Administration  2  47  21  29  7  104  0.5%  0.4%  735 
Source: Statistics Canada, Business Register Division

 

Employment

More than 47,000 people are working in Kamloops. The average 2009 unemployment rate was 8.3% compared to 5.8% in 2008.

The Thompson Rivers University and a large number of private educational institutions give residents of Kamloops easy access to post-secondary education and training opportunities.  Each year more than 1,500 students are graduating from academic and vocational studies earning certificates, diplomas, bachelor degrees and soon, master degrees. Many employers find Kamloops an attractive place to do business due to the large pool of well educated and skilled labour.

The Kamloops area's quality of life, low cost of living and access to major markets are the key advantages cited by senior level staff as the primary reason for moving to Kamloops.

Employers report high satisfaction with the quality of labor in Kamloops (work ethic, education and work experience levels) and lists it as a major factor for locating their business here.


Top Ten Major Employers in Kamloops

Company Industry Employees
Royal Inland Hospital Health Services 2117
School District #73 Education 1784
Thompson Rivers University Education 1270
Highland Valley Copper Mine Mining 980
City of Kamloops Municipal 710
Kamloops Daily News Newspaper 503
Domtar Pulp Mill 435
Overlander Extended Care Health Services 367
Walmart  Department Store 322
BC Lottery Corporation Gaming 310
Horizon North (Northern Trailer) Manufacturing 280
NRI-Distribution Warehousing 240

 

Labour Force Participation Rates for Kamloops

    2006     2007     2008     2009  
                  (Thousands) 
 Population 15 years+                                 75.7     76.4    77.7     79.0  
 Labour Force                                                        
 Total                                                               53.6   53.5   56.6    54.1
 Employed                                                      51.5     50.8     53.3     49.6  
 Unemployed                                                2.1    2.7    3.3    4.5 
 Not in Labour Force                                    22.1     22.9     21.2     24.9 
                 (Percentage)
 Unemployment Rate                                  3.9    5.0    5.8    8.3 
 Participation Rate                                       70.8    70.0    72.8    68.5 
 Employment Rate                                       68.0     66.5     68.6     62.8  
         
Source: BC Stats - Labour Force Activity by Selected BC Cities and Stats Canada