Kelowna has ranked 12th on a list of top cities for youth to work in Canada by the Youthful Cities 2021 Urban Work Index.
The index evaluated 27 cities based on factors including job availability, cost of living, public health, sustainability measures, and equity & inclusion practices. Cities were ranked using publicly available data and had the potential to score up to a possible 956 points. Kelowna came in the 12th spot with 494.48 points, just behind Quebec City and Toronto.
Vancouver (using data from 14 of the largest municipalities which make up Metro Vancouver) was found to be the top-ranked city in the country, scoring 623.66 points. Right behind it was Victoria in at number four.
Through the ranking, larger cities were generally rated to be better places to work overall. However, each city saw ratings that reflected unique areas of strength and opportunities for growth.
More than 1,200 young people from 27 Canadian cities were employed as urban researchers in the fall of 2020 to collect public data on the included cities – and concurrently conduct surveys and interviews with over 3,000 youth (aged 15-29) to inform the measurement of topics and indicators.
“COVID-19 has made the future of work as a young adult seem even more precarious than usual,” said Robert Barnard, co-founder of Youthful Cities.
“As governments and corporations are getting ready for post-COVID recovery, there is a great opportunity to create a blueprint for more inclusive and accessible work in our great Canadian cities. We hope the 2021 Urban Work Index will inform and inspire that dialogue to start now.”
View the full list here.
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