Services top Nunavik industries, census shows

ODILE NELSON

It may come as no surprise to Nunavimmiut, but the latest census release from Statistics Canada confirms health care, public administration and education are the region’s top three employment industries.

According labour force data from the 2001 census, there were 3,855 people working in Nunavik and these three industries alone accounted for roughly two-thirds of their jobs.

Health and social services came up at the top of the list with 815 workers, public administration was a close second counting 755 employees and education rounded out the top three industries with 700 staff.

Converted into percentages, the statistics mean 22.1 per cent of Nunavimmiut work in the health sector, 20.5 per cent work in public administration and 19 per cent work in education.

Only 30 Nunavimmiut reported making a living from the fishing or hunting industry, 90 said they worked in mining and 105 said they worked in construction.

Denis Boudreau, an economist with Statistics Canada’s Quebec and Nunavut regional office, said that although the region’s three biggest industries do not generate exports, they lay the foundation for future growth.

“Sometimes we hear such service-based industries are not true contributors to the economy,” Boudreau said. “But a job is a job. With such services to the population, in the future a healthy and highly educated population can grow into other sectors.”

There were no statistics immediately available from the 1991 census for Boudreau to note any labour trends in Nunavik.

The census highlighted striking gender differences in Nunavik’s top industries. In 2001, the number of men in public administration far outweighed the number of women. More than 530 men reported working in government positions, while only 225 women said the same. However, 575 women said they worked in health care and 455 said they worked in education. Comparatively, 235 men were employed in education and 205 in health.

The survey also found Nunavik’s unemployment rate is nearly twice the national average for those 15 years of age and older. While the rest of Canada had a 7.4 per cent unemployment rate in 2001, Nunavik’s rate was 14.7 per cent.

Regionally, Akulivik had the highest unemployment rate for those 15 years and older at 26.7 per cent. It was closely followed by Salluit, at 23.5 per cent, Kangiqsualujjuaq at 21.6 per cent, and Aupaluk at 21.4 per cent.

Kuujjuaq had the region’s lowest unemployment rate at 7.4 per cent. Quaqtaq also enjoyed a relatively low unemployment rate of 8.3 per cent.

The unemployed rate is not the number of people without work in a community but the number of people who are seeking work and unable to find it.