Employment Share by Occupation
At the time of the 2001 Census, about 83 percent of Pelly Crossing's adult population reported that they were involved in the formal labour market. This is only a little lower than the overall Yukon proportion. With a limited economy and few job opportunities available in the community, unemployment is very high: 30 percent of those in the labour force reported being unemployed in 2001, compared to the Yukon unemployment rate of 12 percent at the time of the Census. Unemployment is especially high for men, with nearly 40 percent reporting that they were unemployed. Unemployment for women stood at about 20 percent.
Close to 70 percent of the young people in Pelly Crossing reported being involved in the formal labour force. Of these, about half were unemployed. This compares with a 22-percent youth unemployment rate across the Yukon in 2001.
This pattern of high unemployment for community residents is borne out by employment insurance numbers. In 2003, an average of 36 individuals claimed employment insurance payments. The number of people claiming income from employment insurance has averaged more than 30 throughout the early 2000s.
The 2001 Census indicates that only a third of the workers in Pelly Crossing work full-time for the full year, compared to almost one half Yukon-wide. This confirms local information indicating that full-time, full year work is rare. Some adults are likely to move, for at least part of the year, to find work.
Most who are employed in the community work in service occupations, such as home care, sales and food services, or in social science, education, and government service occupations such as teaching and social work. Other important occupations in Pelly Crossing are in construction trades and transport fields. Some people find employment in management and administration; others work in primary industry occupations, such as mining, trapping, or forestry. The numbers of people working in fields like health or arts are very small.
