Vernon council receives Labour Market Overview for city

Photo: vernon.ca

Vernon has a diversified economy, according to the Labour Market Overview presented by the city's economic development planner on Monday.

During council's regular meeting, Mayor Victor Cumming pointed out that the data, even though from 2016, shows that Vernon has a “very diversified economy.”

Cumming also confirmed council will be getting data from 2021 that will be telling on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data specific to Vernon is only available every five years through the Statistics Canada Census. ln 2016, Vernon had a labour force of 19,030.

The 2016 report also stated there was a total of 57 per cent of labour force participation, 61 per cent of those being male and 53% female.

The report notes over half the workforce is employed in the following sectors: retail trade (15%), followed by health care and social assistance (14%), accommodation and food services (10%), construction (9%), and manufacturing (8%).

The number of business licences in Vernon has remained steady in recent years. ln 2019, the City of Vernon issued 3,266 business licences, the report states.

As of 2016, there were 19,030 people in the local workforce, with a participation rate of 57.4%, leaving 14,135 not in the labour force and 1,530 unemployed.

Council voted unanimously to receive the report.