PURSUITS 2011! - Business Education Council of Niagara

Top Occupations by number of jobs, Niagara 2006
Are you looking for a “creative class” occupation
Check out some of the“creative” occupations in Niagara in the list below
Creative Class Median Income No. Employed
0621 Retail trade managers $34,197 4515
3152 Registered nurses $63,656 2905
1231 Bookkeepers $31,749 1490
0611 Sales, marketing and advertising managers $62,186 1270
1111 Financial auditors and accountants $ 58,290 1245
Super Creative Class
4142 Elementary school and kindergarten teachers $60,176 2885
4141 Secondary school teachers $ 69,761 2105
5254 Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness $22,426 955
4131 College and other vocational instructors $61,179 700
4152 Social workers $47,649 570
Service Class
6421 Retail salespersons and sales clerks $26,856 9030
6641 Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and
related occupations $18,125 5560
6611 Cashiers $20,919 4565
6453 Food and beverage servers $14,424 3675
6661 Light duty cleaners $23,050 3285
Working Class
7411 Truck drivers $44,171 2035
7321 Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics
and mechanical repairers $45,703 1740
9482 Motor vehicle assemblers, inspectors and testers $63,785 1680
7452 Material handlers $37,343 1610
7265 Welders and related machine operators $48,329 1385
In 2001, the Niagara labour force included 49,700 creative class occupations; by 2006 this number grew to 54,550 jobs, an increase
of 9.8 percent (4,850) and comprising 25.7 percent of all jobs in Niagara, or just over 1 in 4. In 2006 the median income of the Niagara region
was $41,087 however, the median income of the creative class was $50,578. For example, the highest paid creative occupations were medical
professionals such as Specialist Physicians, General Practitioners, and Dentists with median incomes of; $199,062, $160,628 and
$129,803, respectively. Although these jobs are in the minority, the average median income of the top five creative occupations by number
of people employed was $50,869. As this example shows, it pays to be creative.
Statistics Canada, 2006
As we can see the role that the creative class plays in the economy is not sector specific. When we breakdown Niagara’s economy
into the twenty basic industrial sectors, we see that they are active in almost every sector. When we examined persons employed by occupation
and education level we were able to determine that those employed in occupations which comprised nearly 75 percent of the creative class
had pursued post-secondary education, with 45 percent attaining a university certificate, diploma or degree. In comparison, only 41 percent
of those employed in the service class pursued post-secondary education and only 11 percent had attained a university certificate, diploma
or degree. This re-enforces the notion that attaining a post-secondary education is related to an increase in income. This is clearly evident
from the creative class’s median income of $50,578 and the median income of $33,006 for the service class.
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