The
latest data we have available shows that the jobless rate in
Sudbury
is anywhere from 7 to 10%. This is a serious situation which has been
getting worse over the years as the rest of the country shows employment
and economic growth.
However,
what should be of equal, if not more concern to all local residents is the
increasing number of people who are currently working, but who may only be
getting two or three days of work a week. These are people who are
considered employed, but in reality, they cannot maintain any kind of
normal lifestyle under those circumstances.
We
should also be concerned about the increasing number of people who are
struggling as self-employed entrepreneurs, trying
desperately to build a successful business in the Greater Sudbury Area as
an alternative to moving away to take a job in the south. Many would like
to find permanent employment, but are forced to offer their services on a
contract basis wherever they can find work.
While
it is true that there are a lot of people working at some very well-paying
jobs in Sudbury, with many families fortunate to take home earnings in
excess of six-figures, there are also a lot of people trying to live on
less than $20,000 a year, either on pension or in positions which contain
no job security and no chance for advancement. These may be good jobs for
people who are looking at supplementing the income of their high wage
earning spouse in order to have extra spending money, but they are not
good jobs for people with young children who are trying to pay for food,
shelter and clothing.
Underemployment,
or full-time employment at part-time wages, therefore, is just as big a
problem for us in this region today as unemployment.
Never
before has it been so important for small business and consumers to work
together in support of each other. In order for this to happen, two
critical things must happen.
First,
small, locally-owned businesses must do whatever they can to attract
consumers. This means that they must find creative ways of promoting their
goods and services to the local market and must then provide the kind of
service that will generate the loyalty and support they need.
Second,
consumers must pay more attention to what local businesses have to offer.
By making purchases of as many goods and services as possible from local
businesses, all revenue remains in the community and is eventually
reinvested, thus creating jobs and stimulating the economy.
What
we are experiencing now is that much of our money is being spent at much
larger national outlets. The profit from these stores is going outside of
the Greater Sudbury Area. While it is true that jobs are being created by
the larger corporations, many of those jobs are part-time or low-paying
and do not provide much long-term security. There is very little long-term
reinvestment of profits back into the local economy, and that in part is
what has created the problem we have in the Greater Sudbury Area today.
Money is leaving the area faster than it is coming in. Until we correct
this major economic problem, our employment picture simply cannot improve.
There will be less and less money in the local economy and underemployment
will get worse.
This
means that everyone – and I mean everyone – must work together for the
future of our community. It is more important than ever that we give
consideration to the small businesses which can provide for most of our
needs at a competitive price. The service they provide to the community is
worth the minor inconvenience of having to shop at multiple locations, or
even to pay a small amount more. Small business owners are the people who
sponsor our minor sports teams; donate to church teas; buy our homes; and
reinvest in the local economy. They do not take the money and give it to
shareholders from around the world. They return it to the residents of the
community.
Despite
the poor statistics and the fact that the future looks bleak, there is
still room for hope. It is not too late to “turn this ship around” and
change things for the better. Read the following little story to see what
I mean.
This
is a story about identical twins. One was a true optimist.
"Everything is coming up roses!" he would say. The other twin
was a sad and hopeless pessimist. The worried parents of the boys brought
them to the local psychologist.
The psychologist suggested to the parents a plan to balance the
twins "personalities." On their next birthday, the parents were
to put them in separate rooms to open their gifts. They were to give the
pessimist the best toys they could afford, and give the optimist a box of
manure. The parents followed these instructions and carefully observed the
results.
When they peeked in on
the pessimist, they heard him audibly complaining, "I don't like the
color of this computer. I'll bet this calculator will break. I don't like
the game boy. I know someone who's got a bigger toy car than this."
Tiptoeing across the
corridor, the parents peeked in and saw their little optimist gleefully
throwing the manure up in the air. He was giggling. "You can't fool
me! Where there's this much manure, there's gotta be a pony!"
I think we should all
be like the second boy. There phenomenal potential in this area. We can
meet the challenges facing us today if we all work together as a community
and put our money to work locally to stimulate the economy and improve the
underemployment situation.
Valley East
and Capreol are still wonderful places in which to live and raise a
family. It is definitely worth the effort. Let’s be like the optimist
with the manure. Where there’s this much potential, there’s gotta be a
bright future!
