Employment Share by Occupation
Census results showed that 80 percent of the Watson Lake population over the age of 15 were in the labour force in 2001. This is the same as the overall Yukon rate.
Unemployment for the town of Watson Lake was about 13 percent in 1996, close to the Yukon average. The First Nation settlements showed significantly higher unemployment rates: about 30 percent or more.
Records for employment insurance showed an average of 104 people claiming payments in 2003, up a little from the year before.
For young adults (15 to 24 years of age), 60 percent are active in the labour market. This is somewhat lower than the overall Yukon participation rate of 68 percent for this age group. About 17 percent of young people reported being unemployed in 2001, just below the Yukon rate.
The share of full-time, full year work in Watson Lake was virtually the same as for the Yukon as a whole, 45 and 46 percent respectively.
The average employment income for all workers in Watson Lake, as reported in the 2001 Census, was close to $26,600, compared to the Yukon average of just over $31,500. For those working on a full-time, full year basis, average earnings in Watson Lake were just over $34,200 (compared to average Yukon full-time, full year earnings of about $44,600). Income information for the local Liard First Nation settlements was not reported in the Census.
About 10 percent of those who work in the Watson Lake area reported that their main work is through self-employment. This is a little lower than the 13-percent share for the Yukon.
The largest occupational fields in Watson Lake are sales and service occupations, construction and other trades, transport, and equipment operation. They provide a somewhat larger share of employment in the Watson Lake area than they do in the Territory as a whole. Other significant employment fields are business and administration and management occupations, although such employment is a little lower than the Yukon-wide proportion.
Occupations linked with primary industries provide almost 7 percent of employment, higher than the 3 percent average across the Yukon.
Since Watson Lake is a service community for the southeastern Yukon, there is a relatively high proportion of work in social service, government, education, and health care occupations.
