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 Centre industry. According to the 2009 BC Stats Labour Force Annual Characteristics, Kamloops has a well-educated diverse labour force of more than 54,000 workers 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 54,000 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
		Firms with No 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 49,000 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 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.

2010 Major Employers in Kamloops

Major Employers	# of Employees
Interior Health Authority	3000
School District #73	2000
Thompson Rivers University	1725
Highland Valley Copper Mine	1134
City of Kamloops	630
Domtar	448
BC Lottery Corporation	433
Safeway	400
Save-On Foods and Cooper's	326
Walmart	322
NRI-Distribution	247
Northern Trailer	244
Costco	238
Overlander Extended Care	225
Kamloops Daily News	200*

* includes carriers
Source: Venture Kamloops Feb. 2010

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

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