Low education plagues promising job market

ODILE NELSON

Nunavik’s booming job market promises a better economic future for the region, but Nunavimmiut may not yet have the education levels to take advantage of higher-paying, and more influential jobs, two recent Statistics Canada reports suggest.

In a special analysis done for Nunatsiaq News, the federal agency compared Nunavik’s labour statistics from the 1991 and 2001 census.

Separate labour statistics for Nunavik from the 1991 census had not previously been released.

The report found Nunavik’s labour force, or the number of people able to work, had jumped by 27 per cent over the last decade; the employment rate, or the number of people holding jobs, had grown from 51.1 per cent to 56.6 per cent and the unemployment rate remained high but steady at roughly 15 per cent. The national unemployment rate is close to seven per cent.

It also confirmed that public services lead Nunavik’s job growth. Employment in the health sector grew by a whopping 123 per cent, from 365 jobs in 1991 to 815 in 2001. Education jobs increased from 555 to 700 or 26.1 per cent and government jobs rose from 670 to 755 or 12.7 per cent. Jobs in retail increased by 30 per cent.

“It’s a very large increase in the working population so the big picture is good. Jobs are growing and number of people working seem to be growing at the same pace,” said Dénis Boudreau, an economist with Statistics Canada’s Quebec and Nunavut regional office.

Boudreau said the growth of public service industries continue to develop more work in retail, transportation and construction. But he cautioned the region’s three leading industries demand high education levels.

“Now the region needs to get abilities to fit the new requirements. If the economy is growing in health and government sectors we know those jobs need expertise related to higher education,” he said.

But a second study, released by Statistics Canada last week, showed few of Quebec’s Inuit have levels of education that will allow them to win higher-paid jobs.

The 2001 census report examined levels of education across geographic and ethnic divisions in Canada.

It found 61.1 per cent of Quebec Inuit between 25 and 64 years of age have not finished high school. Only 2.5 per cent hold a university degree and 5.9 per cent have a college diploma. Close to 18 per cent have graduated from high school or partially completed post-secondary schooling, and 12.7 per cent hold trades certificates.

The results for Nunavut’s Inuit reveal similar trends. The percentage of Nunavummiut with less than their high school certificate reads marginally better at 49.5 per cent but only 2.1 per cent hold university degrees. One-fifth of Nunavummiut, or 20.3 per cent, graduated from high school, 13.8 hold trade certificates and 14.4 have college diplomas.

The statistics for non-aboriginal people living in Quebec are the mirror opposite. Almost a quarter, 21.7 per cent, of this group holds university degrees and only a quarter, 24.7, have less than a high school diploma.

Graeme Clinton is a senior economist for Nunavut with the Conference Board of Canada, an independent economic research agency. Though he said he was unfamiliar with the specifics of Nunavik’s situation, he offered a grim picture of what such education levels generally mean for a region.

“This would be a major concern for a number of reasons,” Clinton said. ” [From these statistics] Nunavik’s current economy of health, education and government has numerous jobs and people will be able to get jobs in these areas. But the ability to access high paying [and more influential] jobs is small.”

Clinton said the problem extends beyond winning senior positions in the public services. Education, he said, also affects the ability of Nunavimmiut to control other industries such as eco-tourism, fishing and mining.

“All those industries can develop if the resources exist. If there’s fish and people interested in eco-tours those industries will grow,” he said.

Yet he said that it is education that leads to an understanding of industries and management practices. Education allows people to create their own opportunities.

“The key is for the Inuit of Nunavik to be involved in this economic activity so rather than Southern-based companies taking charge of these industries, what you want is people from Nunavik there so benefits go directly to region. And education helps that process.”