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About Thompson-Okanagan
Thompson/Okanagan has a hot and dry climate during the summer, particularly around Osoyoos, which is Canada’s only desert area. The region is known for its orchards and vineyards, as well as its forests and lakes. Thompson/Okanagan includes five regional districts:
The peopleThompson/Okanagan has a population of 527,700. Unlike Vancouver Island/Coast and Mainland/Southwest, where the bulk of the population is located near the largest urban centres, the population of Thompson-Okanagan is more evenly dispersed. Central Okanagan, which includes Kelowna, is the most populous regional district (180,100). Kamloops is the biggest urban centre in Thompson-Nicola, which has the second-largest population (130,100) in the region. Penticton and Summerland are both located in Okanagan-Similkameen (which has a total population of 82,400). The largest city in North Okanagan (population 81,900) is Vernon. Salmon Arm and Revelstoke are in the Columbia-Shuswap regional district, which has a population of 53,000.
About 12% of BC’s population lives in Thompson-Okanagan About 12% of BC’s population lives in the Thompson-Okanagan, a share that has remained quite stable since 1995. The region is popular with retirees from the prairies as well as other parts of BC, and this is reflected in the age structure of its population, which is a little older than the provincial average. About 99,000 senior citizens live in Thompson-Okanagan. Seniors make up a bigger share of the population in this region (19%) than in any other part of the province. Seniors make up nearly a fifth of Thompson-Okanagan’s population—more than in any other region
Two-thirds (66%) of the region’s residents were between the ages of 15 and 64 in 2008, less than in any other region. Relative to its population, Thompson-Okanagan has fewer children aged 15 or under than any other region except Vancouver Island/Coast. Children made up just 15% of the region’s total population in 2008. Where are the people located?Twenty percent of Thompson/Okanagan’s population lives in rural areas
One in five residents of Thompson-Okanagan lives outside municipal boundaries. In Columbia-Shuswap, 41% of the population lives in a rural area. Okanagan-Similkameen (30%), North Okanagan (23%), and Thompson-Nicola (18%) also have a fairly large rural population. In contrast, just 10% of the residents of Central Okanagan (the area around Kelowna) live in unincorporated areas. Columbia-Shuswap is the least populous regional district
Thirty-six percent of the region’s workforce, and a slightly smaller share of its population, is located in Central Okanagan. One in four workers is employed in Thompson-Nicola, while Okanagan-Similkameen and North Okanagan are each home to about 15% of the region’s workers. About 10% of the workforce is located in Columbia-Shuswap, the most sparsely populated regional district. The workforceThere were 265,000 people working in Thompson-Okanagan in 2008. Because the region’s population is somewhat older than the average for the province, its share of total employment is a little lower than its population share. Women make up 47% of the workforce, about the same as the BC average. Full-time employment is marginally less common in Thompson-Okanagan (79%) than in the province as a whole (80%). Twenty-one percent of the region’s workforce is self-employed
Twenty-one percent of the workers are self-employed, compared to 19% for the province as a whole. This likely reflects the role of agriculture and forestry in the region’s economy. These industries typically have a higher-than-average incidence of self-employment. Self-employment is also quite common in construction, which is one of the region’s fastest-growing industries. The unemployment rate in Thompson-Okanagan averaged 7.9% between 1995 and 2008, slightly more than the 7.2% average for all of BC. The economyMore than a quarter of the workers are employed in goods-producing industries
Thompson-Okanagan is more dependent on goods production than the province as a whole. About 27% of its workers are employed in the goods sector, compared to 22% of all workers in BC. The influx of people into the region has contributed to a construction boom, and one in eight people working in the region have jobs in construction, considerably more than the average for all of BC. Manufacturing employs nearly 9% of the population. One in three manufacturing jobs is forest-related, mainly in wood processing. Other manufacturing activities in Thompson-Okanagan include fruit and vegetable processing and metal fabricating. Plastics, trailers, ships and boats, and various other products are also manufactured in the region. Construction and manufacturing are the main employers in the goods sector
The forest sector also plays a key role in the region’s economy, as do mining-related activities. Forestry, fishing & mining employs 3% of the region’s workforce. Most (six out of 10) of these workers are employed in mining or mining-related services such as mineral exploration and development. Thompson-Okanagan is the location of a large number of mines, including the Highland Valley copper-molybdenum-gold-silver mine and the MAX molybdenum mine. Other mines and quarries extract gypsum, limestone, shale, silicon, stone and other products. Four out of 10 workers in this industry are engaged in forestry & logging. Three percent of the regional workforce is employed in agriculture. The Okanagan is well-known for its orchards and vineyards, and a wide variety of fruits, including apples, apricots, cherries, grapes, peaches, and pears, are grown in the region. Okanagan fruit stands are popular with locals as well as tourists from other parts of Canada, many of whom bring BC fruit home with them from their summer travels. Livestock production in the area is mainly focused on cattle ranching and farming. Although utilities such as electric power and gas distribution employ a small share of its workers, the region is home to two of the province’s biggest hydroelectric generating stations. The Revelstoke dam is the second biggest (based on capacity) in the province, and the Mica dam, which has nearly as much generating capacity, is ranked third. Wholesale & retail trade, together with health & social assistance and accommodation & food services, are the biggest service-sector employers
Service-sector industries employ 73% of the workforce in Thompson-Okanagan, considerably less than the average for the province as a whole (78%). As is the case in most regions, wholesale & retail trade is the biggest employer, providing 16% of all the jobs in the region, more than any other industry. Health & social assistance is ranked second, with 13% of the region’s workforce employed in this industry. This is partly related to the region’s large senior population, but also reflects the location of special treatment facilities which provide services to British Columbians from other parts of the Interior. In 2008, the region had nearly as many nursing care facilities (55) as there were in Vancouver Island/Coast (62), which has a much larger population. About 8% of the regional workforce is employed in accommodation and food services. Thompson-Okanagan is a popular vacation spot for British Columbians as well as travelers from further afield. In the summer months, its lakes, forests and orchards provide numerous recreational opportunities. In the Shuswap Lake area, houseboat tours, which are available during the summer months, have become very popular. During the winter, the region’s mountain resorts draw ski enthusiasts from all over the world. Post-secondary institutions located in the region include UBC Okanagan, Okanagan College and Thompson Rivers University. How does the region’s economic structure compare to BC’s?Thompson-Okanagan’s economy revolves more closely around goods production than is the case for the province as a whole and this is reflected in the region’s share of total employment in a number of industries. Agriculture, forestry, mining, construction, utilities and manufacturing all employ a larger-than-average share of the workforce in Thompson-Okanagan. Thompson-Okanagan accounts for a big share of total employment in many of BC’s goods-producing industries
The region is home to one in five workers in agriculture, 17% of those employed in forestry, fishing & mining, and 15% of workers in the construction industry, all of which are considerably higher than the region’s 11% share of total employment in BC. Health & social assistance (14%) and accommodation & food services (12%) are also important employers. Thirteen percent of all workers in BC’s utilities industry are located in this region, which is home to two of the province’s largest power generating facilities. What’s been happening since 1995?Thompson-Okanagan’s population has grown 16% since 1995
Thompson-Okanagan has the second-fastest growing population in the province, after Mainland/Southwest. Since 1995, the number of people living in Thompson-Okanagan has increased 16%, which is about the same as BC’s total population growth during this period. However, its working-aged population (+19%) hasn’t quite kept pace with the increase (+20%) in the province as a whole. The region has the fastest-growing senior population in the province. The number of seniors has increased 37% since 1995, well above the 34% increase for the province as a whole. The number of children living in Thompson-Okanagan has declined 14% since 1995. Employment growth in Thompson-Okanagan has outpaced the provincial average Employment in the region has increased significantly more than in the province as a whole, rising 37% since 1995. The rapid job growth has occurred partly because the region has seen faster-than-average population growth during this period, but also reflects other factors. Strong job growth in the region’s goods sector...
...has been led by big gains in construction
Since 1995, employment in goods industries has risen 56%, well above the 31% increase in the number of service sector jobs. However, job growth in the goods industries has been more volatile than in the service sector. Thompson-Okanagan is the only region where employment in every industry has increased since 1995, but some industries have fared better than others. Construction has played a big role in the very rapid job growth in this region, with the number of construction jobs more than doubling (+159%) since 1995, as building activity has ramped up. The value of building permits issued for both residential and non-residential projects in this region has nearly tripled since 1995, increasing more than in any other region except Northeast. In the utilities industry, employment has increased 90%. Job growth in other goods industries has been more moderate. The number of jobs in agriculture has increased 23%, and employment in manufacturing was 16% higher in 2008 than in 1995. Forestry, fishing & mining (+10%) was the slowest-growing industry, and has experienced ups and downs during the period since 1995. Logging and related manufacturing activities have been affected by the mountain pine beetle infestation, which has devastated forests in the region. Efforts to harvest the trees killed by these beetles have boosted logging activities in recent years. In the service sector, the fastest-growing industry is business, building & other support services, one of the smallest industries, where the number of jobs has more than doubled (+127%) since 1995. Other industries that have seen strong job growth since 1995 include professional, scientific & technical services (+88%) and health & social assistance (+65%). Some of the growth in professional, scientific and technical services is likely related to the building boom, since this industry includes engineering and architectural services. The service sector has taken on 31% more workers, with some industries posting exceptionally strong job growth
What’s the outlook to 2013?Thompson-Okanagan’s population growth is expected to slow down in the next few years, with its share inching down from 12% of BC’s total in 2008 to just under that level by 2013. Employment growth in both the goods and service sectors is forecast to be similar to the increase for the province as a whole. The region’s population and employment are expected to grow at about the same rate as BC’s
Table 5
Data Source: Statistics Canada & BC Stats
Table 6
Data Source: Statistics Canada
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Thompson-Okanagan covers much of the Interior of the province, stretching from Princeton in the west to Golden and the BC-Alberta border on the east. Kelowna, Kamloops, Vernon, and Penticton are the largest cities in the region.
