Kingston's job market is primarily made up of service-based jobs such as those in Educational Services, Health Care and Social Assistance, and Public Administration or Government Services, the three largest sources of employment. However, there are a few thousand jobs in manufacturing as well as a few hundred people working in resource-based jobs such as Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and oil/gas extraction.
Although resource-based jobs exist in Kingston, there are not a lot of them. There is fertile land in the Kingston area which supports the agriculture and forestry industries, as well as nutrient-rich waters which sustain the small fishing industry. There is a small reserve of oil in the region, which provides a small amount of jobs as well. Oil drilling is unsustainable everywhere in the world, because it is set to run out in less than 100 years. Luckily, this does not provide a large percentage of Kingston's income, so the in-sustainability of this resource is not detrimental to Kingston's economy. The agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries are unsustainable at the current rate, however this can be reversed if these resources are utilized to a lesser extent.
As long as students keep coming to Kingston year after year for university, the educational services sector will be doing well. 95% of Queen's University students come from outside of Kingston, so this sector is clearly dependent on people from outside of the community. However, students from far away keep returning year after year, so this sector looks like it is sustainable. However, this sector could become more sustainable by introducing a cap on tuition fees so that universities in Kingston can become more affordable than those in other cities. This would attract more students, hence making the sector more sustainable.
Healthcare and public administration are two sectors that will be sustainable as long as the net population growth rate remains above zero. Healthcare depends on people to be ill and need its services, and public administration depends on people to govern.
Jobs in manufacturing are somewhat stable, but they are not necessarily sustainable. A lot of companies outsource labour to poorer countries in order to reduce production costs. This could remove the need for Canadians to do this type of work. Manufacturers' jobs seem safe for now, but they should have a Plan B in mind just in case.
Although resource-based jobs exist in Kingston, there are not a lot of them. There is fertile land in the Kingston area which supports the agriculture and forestry industries, as well as nutrient-rich waters which sustain the small fishing industry. There is a small reserve of oil in the region, which provides a small amount of jobs as well. Oil drilling is unsustainable everywhere in the world, because it is set to run out in less than 100 years. Luckily, this does not provide a large percentage of Kingston's income, so the in-sustainability of this resource is not detrimental to Kingston's economy. The agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries are unsustainable at the current rate, however this can be reversed if these resources are utilized to a lesser extent.
As long as students keep coming to Kingston year after year for university, the educational services sector will be doing well. 95% of Queen's University students come from outside of Kingston, so this sector is clearly dependent on people from outside of the community. However, students from far away keep returning year after year, so this sector looks like it is sustainable. However, this sector could become more sustainable by introducing a cap on tuition fees so that universities in Kingston can become more affordable than those in other cities. This would attract more students, hence making the sector more sustainable.
Healthcare and public administration are two sectors that will be sustainable as long as the net population growth rate remains above zero. Healthcare depends on people to be ill and need its services, and public administration depends on people to govern.
Jobs in manufacturing are somewhat stable, but they are not necessarily sustainable. A lot of companies outsource labour to poorer countries in order to reduce production costs. This could remove the need for Canadians to do this type of work. Manufacturers' jobs seem safe for now, but they should have a Plan B in mind just in case.