Census figures released Tuesday by Statistics Canada just confirm what most people have known about Barrie for years – it’s where the jobs are.
The mini-census figures show Barrie experienced employment growth of 22.9 per cent from 2001 to 2006, putting this city among the national leaders in that regard.
The staggering figure was surpassed by only three centres in Alberta – Grande Prairie (29.3 per cent), Red Deer (28.5 per cent) and Okotoks (55.4 per cent).
The national average was a relatively miniscule 1.7 per cent over that five-year period.
In all, more than 93,000 residents of Barrie were part of the national workforce in 2006, a boost of more than 17,000 over 2001. At the end of 2006, the Barrie area enjoyed an unemployment rate of 5.9 per cent, only slightly higher than 2001’s rate of 5.3 per cent.
The median age of Barrie’s workforce was just over 40.
And no matter how old people grow, it’s never too late for them to better themselves. Georgian College report more than 8,000 students who consider themselves full-time, more than three times that number who call themselves part-time.
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