Other Services

 

The services provided by people working in this industry are mainly used by individuals or households, and cover a wide range of activities. They are often labour-intensive, and can require specialized skills.

Many, but not all, of these services are somewhat discretionary by nature. We have to use the services of health care professionals to obtain medical care, and in most cases, it's not possible to buy goods without using the services of a retailer or wholesaler. However, it is possible and quite common, for individuals to acquire the skills and knowledge needed to repair a vehicle, upholster furniture, cut hair or make clothing. Do-it-yourselfers may not always achieve professional results, but they are not obliged to purchase these services from businesses that offer them.

What's included in other services?

People who work in this industry have jobs at garages, hair salons, barber shops, massage parlours, shoe repair places, laundries and drycleaners. Some are employed by funeral homes, crematoriums and cemeteries.

Establishments in this industry repair and maintain cars, machinery and equipment, furniture and other personal and household goods. The industry also includes personal services such as hair styling, aesthetics, funeral services, laundry and dry cleaning, pet grooming and other pet care, photofinishing, parking and other personal services.

Religious, grant making, civic, professional, labour unions and other similar organizations are also included, as are household services such as those provided by cooks, maids, gardeners, babysitters and other people who are employed to help run a private household.

One in three workers in this industry is employed in establishments that repair & maintain autos, equipment and other goods

What's happened since 1990?

Despite slower-than-average employment growth, the industry's share of total GDP has increased during the last 15 years.

 

The industry's share of total employment has fallen since 1990, dropping from just under 5% to just over 4% of the total workforce during this period. However, the industry's share of GDP has risen slightly, and is currently at about 3%.

Although the number of jobs in personal and laundry services increased at about the same rate as in the rest of the economy, other industries within this group did not fare as well. The number of people working in private households dropped about 20% between 1990 and 2005. Job growth in the repair and maintenance industry (+27%) was lower than the all-industry average, as was the case in religious, grant-making, civic and professional organizations (+18%)

What are the most common occupations?

Given the personal-service orientation of this industry, it's not surprising that four out of ten people who work in it are in sales and service occupations. More than half of them are hairstylists, barbers, estheticians, janitors, cleaners, laundry workers or in other basic service occupations. Babysitters, nannies and homemakers are also common sales and service occupations in this industry.

Four out of ten workers in this industry are in sales & service occupations

 

Trades, transportation and equipment operators make up 28% of the workforce. These are primarily mechanics, but also include machinists and specialized trades such as tailors, dressmakers, and people who repair shoes or jewellery.

Workers in business, finance and administrative occupations are primarily clerks and secretaries. They make up 14% of the industry's workforce. Another 6% work in social sciences, education, government services and religion. More than half of them are religious workers such as ministers, but other occupations include family and marriage counsellors, researchers, and community and social service workers.

How many people work in other services, and how much do they earn?

There were 91,200 people working in this industry in 2005. Of this total, 33,500 were employed in repair and maintenance establishments, while 30,000 worked in personal and laundry services. Another 17,100 were employed by religious, grant-making, civic, professional and other similar organizations and 10,600 worked for private households.

Workers earned an average hourly wage of $16.78 in 2005, but there is a lot of variability in pay scales among the various groups within this industry. People who were employed by private households received an average wage of $11 an hour, while those employed in personal and laundry services typically earned just under $14 an hour. Wages in repair and maintenance ($18) and religious, grant-making, civic and professional organizations ($20) were considerably higher.

What are the characteristics of the workforce?

One in four people who work in this industry are employed part-time. That's slightly higher than the average for all industries (20%). Most workers do not have union coverage. Just 12% were covered by collective agreements in 2005, compared to 33% for the economy as a whole.

Women make up 54% of the workforce, considerably more than their share of total employment (47%).

Self-employment is quite common in this industry. Thirty-five percent of the workers are self-employed, well above the 20% average for the economy as a whole. Among those who work for private households, 58% are self-employed, while 45% of workers in the repair and maintenance industry are their own bosses. The percentage of self-employed workers is also high in personal and laundry services (34%). However, self-employment is very rare in religious, grant-making, civic and professional organizations.

Unemployment rates in the industry averaged 5.8% during the period from 1990 to 2005. This was well below the average for all industries in the province (8.4%).

Most workers are employed in small establishments

Most of the people who work in this industry are employed in businesses with fewer than 100 workers. Seven out of ten work in establishments with fewer than 20 employees, while 22% have jobs at establishments with 20 to 99 employees.

Where are the jobs located?

The distribution of jobs in this industry is similar to the distribution of the province's workforce

Many of the services provided by workers in this industry are people-oriented, so it is not surprising that the jobs in this industry are distributed in much the same way as the population. Most of the people work in Mainland/Southwest (62%) or Vancouver Island/Coast (16%). Thompson-Okanagan accounts for 9% of the workforce, slightly less than the region's share of the total population.

What's the outlook to 2014?

Employment growth in this industry is expected to lag slightly behind the average for all industries during the next few years. However, the industry's GDP is forecast to grow at about the same rate as the rest of the economy and its share of total value added is expected to remain at just under 3%.

The industry's share of GDP and employment is expected to remain virtually unchanged during the next few years