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November 9, 2009
Changing urban jobs, new urban lifestyles
How is the changing nature of urban employment changing our cities?
Many cities, particularly in North America, emerged as centers for manufacturing, primary industry and some natural resource processing and trade. In recent decades, manufacturing finished products has become more automated and global. Making primary products like steel has undergone a similar transformation. And many of North America’s resources are gone, and those that remain are often more costly to harvest than comparable products in other countries (forestry and the fishery being good examples).
That has changed. Urban jobs increasingly are based in the knowledge economy or urban experience economy. The former often involve engineering, accounting, financial or other analytical work. The latter involve providing others with experiences, whether that perfect morning latte, a spa treatment, a personalized workout, retail service or the presentation of fine food to name a few.
There is still construction employment and jobs driving containers of Cherrios or designer clothes to warehouses will not disappear. But so many other jobs often considered masculine and male dominated are gone.
Our cities are changing along with attitudes about gender. Most women today have less than 2 children (1.5 children per woman in her lifetime is the current fertility average); women earn 55% of bachelor and masters degrees, often needed (or an advantage) in the knowledge economy and skilled experience-service economy positions.
As women take skilled positions in the knowledge economy, it creates positions for child care workers (a skilled, service economy role) and perhaps more demand for lower maintenance apartment living rather than suburban single family home ownership.
Immigrants to Canada come with higher education levels than the typical native born person (50% of immigrants to Canada over the age of 24 have degrees, in comparison to 20% of Canadian born in the same age group). This is making Canada’s major cities more multi-cultural than ever.
With many of the resource and manufacturing companies gone, there seems to be fewer large employers and more smaller ones. Does this empower talented people or is it a loss to job security? or both?
What other ways do you see changing employment patterns in cities affecting the look and feel of urban areas, or the way people live in them?
Topics: urban history, economic development |
November 12th, 2009 at 10:30 am
It’s interesting to see that as the world education increases the type of product/service/experience offerings shifts from product to experience. Is there a correlation between education and what type of consumer you are? Definitely.
I like your post, I look forward to read more.
November 15th, 2009 at 11:08 am
[…] All About Cities Blog November 9, 2009 Changing Urban Jobs, New Urban Lifestyles How is the changing nature of urban employment changing our cities? Read more… […]
November 18th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
OMG. I think you’re the very first person I have ever heard childcare a skilled role. I am so accustomed to hearing people say that it is unskilled and that anyone can do it. Although I don’t work in childcare, I am a parent and I can’t believe how few people value the skills of competent childcare providers.
November 25th, 2009 at 7:12 am
[…] and resource industries harder than service and knowledge work. This may be the start of a big shift in how families with children live and work as well.What else?Tags: creative class workplaces, […]