140,000 jobs are not enough to keep Laval workers on the island

The conclusion is drawn from the five-year development plan of the Laval region, expected to be adopted during the course of the year. In 2001, only 39.7% of the 162,000 Laval residents holding jobs worked in Laval. Six out of ten had to cross bridges morning and afternoon to earn their bread: 52% in Montreal, the other 8% in other neighbouring regions.

“The commuters are at the heart of the reality of a large metropolitan region,” explains industrial commissioner Gilbert Leblanc. The proximity of the regions and the highway links promote the practice which in no way diminishes the importance of Laval as an economic pole in the metropolitan region, he insists. “In 2001, Laval had a base of 118,400 jobs. For 2006, Statistics Canada established the job base at no fewer than 140,200,” Mr. Leblanc reports. By 2010, the job numbers will surpass 150,000, he predicts.

To do this, the strategy calls for a repatriation of Laval workers holding jobs outside the region. “A fundamental principle,” attests the Chairman of the Board of Laval Technopole, Pierre Desroches.

It’s quite a challenge, considering that the ratio of Laval workers actually working in Laval has not budged in 15 years. What’s more, the number of workers has never been higher, witnessed by the 210,000 Laval people holding jobs, a level that approaches full employment.

But between now and when everything is in place, Mr. Desroches says he has no doubts about the durability of Laval companies, despite 40% of them reporting they experienced recruitment problems in 2006. “The ways and means are numerous, given the quality of our companies, the proximity of markets, the attraction of the INRS-Armand-Frappier (a component of the University of Quebec specializing in research and development of second and third cycles of life sciences), the arrival of the metro and the extension of Autoroute 25 expected for 2011,” he maintains.

The greater the numbers working close to home the fewer will travel, more fluid will be bridge traffic, and better it will be for the environment. This will improve air quality substantially as the major principles of eco-citizenship orient the region’s development for the next five years.

Of note, there is a overrepresentation of consumer services, with wholesale and retail commerce providing 36% of the jobs compared with the provincial average of 30%, according to the latest available figures. (2001).

“The region abounds in metropolitan consumer commerce, but there is total interest in developing the industrial base and certain value-added services, generators of higher salaries,” reads the strategic plan for 2008-2013.

Incidentally, the manufacturing sector accounts for only 15.4% of Laval unemployment, compared with 19.2% across Quebec, while the services sector supports 43.4% of the regional jobs, slightly below the 46.2% provincial average.

Photo: Gilbert

(Photo: Martin Alarie)