Immigrants, Indigenous workers key to replenishing Sudbury's declining workforce: Insititute

As Sudbury's workforce shows signs of being in decline, a regional think tank says part of the answer is to market the city as a destination for immigrants and Indigenousworkers.

The Northern Policy Institute and the Northern Ontario Workplace Planning Board released a joint report titled Northern Projections: Human Capital Series, which says the city's population is expected to remain constant from 2013 to 2041, with the labour force expected to decline about 14 per cent.

Sudbury's strength: its educational institutions

But Sudbury is in a better position than any other area in northern Ontario to meet future skill requirements, according to the report.

Part of that comes from its strength in the education sector, said Reggie Caverson, the board's executive director.

"We see that with the grants that are coming in to the mining area and those kinds of things," she said, "like the Goodman School of Mines, or our new school of architecture. How do we build on the education that we currently have here?"

The Human Capital Index

Having such a rich foundation of educational facilities allows Sudbury to capitalize on what the report calls the human capital index the ability to develop and utilize talent, especially for immigrant and Indigenous populations.

But the city shouldn't just rest on its reputation for attracting students, Caverson said, who may or may not end up staying.

"Down the road, if we don't do something, we are not going to have as many working-age people here," she said, "we really do need to embark on strategies to try to either keep people here, or bring more people in because of the population changes that are going to be happening over the next 30 years."

Indigenous population expected to boom

In a press release, the institute also said that Ontario's Indigenous population is expected to boom, and Sudbury is poised to benefit.

"The city has a track record of delivering better social and education outcomes to its its indigenous population, compared to the rest of the province," Charles Cirtwill, CEO of the institute said.

"Given the growth trends among this population across northern Ontario, this is a real opportunity that Greater Sudbury should continue to pursue."

The report outlines three key recommendations for the city here.