Sudbury might not appeal to young professionals: study

When the baby boomers started their careers, they often moved where the jobs were.

That won't be the case for the next generation, according to a study released by Next Generation Consulting.

The firm has studied the residential and relocation patterns of 20-40 year olds since 1998, and has developed an indexing system that evaluates a city based on the assets that are “important to next gen workers.”

“Today, young up-and-comers pick their cities — those with the amenities and 'vibe' they value — and then look for jobs,” NGC's website states. “Sometimes to their parents’ chagrin.”
If the consulting firm is right, Sudbury might be in for a problem, having ranked 22 out of 27 Canadian cities.

The Next Cities: Top Canadian Hotspots for Young, Talented Workers study, released on July 28, ranked cities across Canada with a population of more than 100,000, on each city's appeal to young professionals.

The study came about after the firm surveyed 39,000 workers between the age of 20-40, who work in “knowledge-based occupations,” ranging from teaching and health care to advanced manufacturing and consulting. All workers who use or manipulate data and information are considered “knowledge workers.”

The firm asked the participants why they live and work where they do, and the seven indexes, or ranking factors that make up the study, were found to be prominent among the “next gen” workers.

“This is something every city and business leader in Canada needs to be thinking about,” said NGC’s founder, Rebecca Ryan.

“Attracting and retaining talent is incredibly important, because the demographic challenges simply aren't going to go away.”

According to NGC, the seven factors that are important to judging a “next city” are: earning, learning, vitality, around town, after hours, cost of lifestyle, and social capital. The rankings announced in the study are based on a city's total score in all seven indexes.

“Simply being the cheapest place to live, or the city with the most jobs is not a longterm workforce strategy,” Ryan said. “Although jobs are important, the next generation is very savvy about choosing where they’ll live. They look carefully at quality of life factors like how much time they’re going to spend in traffic commuting, if they can live near a park or hike-and-bike trail, and whether a city’s downtown stays awake after five.

“The Next Cities list ranks cities that are, or have the capacity to be, great places to live and work for the next generation.”

The ranking study includes 45 measures in seven indexes, including air quality, location of parks, the local arts scene and job diversity.

Vitality is the first index. It tallies air and water quality, measures green space and estimates residents’ overall health (e.g. obesity, life expectancy, etc.).

The second index is earning. It measures a city’s future job growth, the diversity of employment opportunities, the percentage of jobs in the knowledge-based sector, average household income, and more.

Learning is the third index. It tallies educational opportunities and expenditures, public library use, Wi-Fi hotspots, and more.

Fourth, is social capital, a term coined by Jane Jacobs in her 1961 book The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Social capital accounts for how open, safe, and accessible a city is to all people. It includes measures of diversity, crime rates, voter participation rates, and the percentage of women- and minority-owned businesses.

Cost of lifestyle is the fifth index. It includes “a roof over the head, food on the table, clothes on the back, and a warm bed at night,” according to the study.

The sixth index is called, “after hours.” It takes into account the places to go and things to do after work and on weekends.

Around Town is the seventh, and last, index. It measures a city’s “walkability,” airport activity, commute times, and mass transit opportunities such as busing.

With knowledge workers in Canada accounting for more than 25 per cent of the total workforce, and growth in the number of these jobs occurring in all parts of the country, according to the NGC, these workers are economically critical to cities and regions that can attract and keep them.

“Jobs matter to the next generation,” according to the New Cities study. “But jobs are not enough. A good job may bring a young professional to your city, but (his or her) experience of the city will keep or repel them.”

When describing “next cities,” the study states, “Think bustling city centres, walkable neighbourhoods, diverse career opportunities, and a vibrant art and music scene.”

Canada's “super cities” (those with more than 500,000 people) appeal to many young professionals, according to the NCG, because of their unsurpassed hustle and bustle.

Although the firm warns people to take care in choosing. As cities get larger, they tend to do very well in just a few indexes, while failing in others, the study states.

Small but significant, “mighty micros” (with 100,000 to 200,000 people), like Sudbury, may not have all the “fancy-schmancy amenities” of the super cities, but they more than make up for it in their accessibility and ease of getting around, the study states.

“In these cities, you don’t have to wrestle rush-hour traffic, and you’ll probably learn the names of all your neighbours,” the study states.

Next Cities: Rankings
The cities listed below have high cumulative scores in all seven indexes.
Rank, City, Province
1 Victoria, British Columbia
2 Ottawa, Ontario
3 Vancouver, British Columbia
4 Kingston, Ontario
5 Halifax, Nova Scotia
6 Toronto, Ontario
7 Calgary, Alberta
8 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
9 London, Ontario
10 Edmonton, Alberta
11 Winnipeg, Manitoba
12 Regina, Saskatchewan
13 Thunder Bay, Ontario
14 St. Catharines-Niagara, Ontario
15 Saint John, New Brunswick
16 Montreal, Quebec
17 Kitchener, Ontario
18 St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador
19 Quebec City, Quebec
20 Hamilton, Ontario
21 Sherbrooke, Quebec
22 Sudbury, Ontario
23 Oshawa, Ontario
24 Windsor, Ontario
25 Abbotsford, British Columbia
26 Trois-Rivieres, Quebec
27 Saguenay, Quebec