Jobs coming north in York Region, employment report says

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 7, 2015
By Lisa Queen

Jobs have traditionally been concentrated in York Region’s southern municipalities, but the north can expect more employment growth in the future, according to a regional report on employment trends.

The majority of future industrial growth in the region will take place on what is now undeveloped land as opposed to infilling in already built-up areas.

This shift is expected to make large parcels of land that are easily accessible by transportation networks - such as in East Gwillimbury, Georgina and west Vaughan - desirable places to build, the report said.

However, while the Keswick Business Park has municipal servicing, East Gwillimbury politicians have expressed anger with York Region delaying the Upper York Sewage Solution.

Other highlights of the report include:

• The number of jobs in the region is expected to grow to 900,000 by 2041, up from today’s total of 565,000.
• Major office employment forms a key part of the region’s strategy for maintaining and attracting high-quality jobs.
• Canadian, provincial and York Region economies are shifting from producing goods to service-based, such as financial and business services.
• Following the global recession that began in 2008, the region’s economy is rebounding strongly, with recent annual employment growth approximately double the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area average. This has been led by growth in service-producing “knowledge-based” sectors such as professional, scientific, technical, finance, real estate, leasing, education and health care, information and culture.
• The region’s economy is comprised of a highly diverse mix of industry clusters such as manufacturing located in Vaughan Newmarket, Aurora, Markham and Richmond Hill, transportation and warehousing in the highways 400 and 407 area of Vaughan, wholesale trade in the highways 400 and 407 area of Vaughan, finance and insurance in the highways 404 and 407 areas of Richmond Hill and Markham, information in the highways 404 and 407 area of Markham and professional, scientific and technical services in the highways 404 and 407 area of Markham.
• While manufacturing remains vitally important to the provincial and York Region economies, employment growth in this area is expected to be modest for the foreseeable future.
• Richmond Hill, Markham and Vaughan welcomed 86 per cent of the region’s job growth from 2006 to 2013.