August 9, 2019
A new report from TD Economics analyzes trends of inequalities between Canada's big cities and the rest of the country in terms of digital job opportunities. In Windsor, industry leaders are confident they can counter this trend.
Published last week, TD Bank's report warns against a digital divide created by the tech sector in Canada: "This can accentuate wage divergence between Canadian cities if job hubs form with increasing geographic concentrations, as seen in the United States." This trend is already being seen: 70% of digital jobs are located in five cities (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Calgary).
Windsor's qualities
Susan Anzolin, CEO of the Institute for Border Logistics and Security, is not surprised by the report's conclusion, but she remains optimistic. Among Windsor's qualities are its university and the concentration of car manufacturing companies in the area.
"Windsor-Essex is one of the six regions in Ontario that is part of the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network. Thanks to this, we've had close to 2.6 million dollars to support our region," she says.
Partnerships between the WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation, Windsor-Essex's Regional Chamber of Commerce, WeTech Alliance, and others also contribute to the retention of local talent and the attraction of international talent.
According to WeTech Alliance's CEO Yvonne Pilon, the manufacturing industry is not the region's only strength. "Traditionally, when we think about the technology sector, we think about computer science," she says, "but technology is linked to many sectors, which gives us a lot of opportunities. Technology will revolutionize agriculture for instance, and we are leaders in the agricultural sector."
Windsor's job losses
On Friday, Statistics Canada revealed that Windsor's unemployment rate was at 5.7% in July, compared to 5.9% in June. Unemployment rose 0.4% since March 2019 in Windsor while it decreased by 0.9% in Toronto over the same period.
Anzolin concedes the city's recent job losses are concerning, but she underlines that companies like i5o Consulting or Quicken Loans are currently moving to Windsor. The former even hired two former Windsor University students.
Detroit to the rescue
TD's report points out that cities within 200km of a metropolitan area can use this proximity to their advantage. If one only takes Canadian cities into account, this could be an issue for Windsor; but Pilon says that Detroit's proximity is an asset. "We'll have a lot to gain from Detroit as it becomes a self-driving car hot spot. Economically, the Windsor-Essex region needs to be viewed as Windsor-Essex-Detroit."
Nonetheless, TD Bank underlines: "Policymakers have taken a number of steps to address regional divergence, however greater focus is required. Technology dynamics tend to form quickly and are hard to unwind once established."
This story appeared in French on CBC/Radio-Canada.