Statistics Canada recently released a report on “Culture Sector Employment in Rural Canada”, which has implications for rural economic development. The study of the 1996 to 2003 period concluded that proportionately fewer people are employed in the culture sector in rural Canada compared to the nation as a whole, but that rural culture sector employment is growing faster than both total employment in rural areas and culture sector employment at the national level.

The culture sector is broadly defined as creative artistic activity and the preservation of human heritage. It encompasses the associated activities of creation, production, manufacturing, distribution and support services.

Rural areas have a higher share of jobs in some culture sub-sectors than in others. Between 1996 and 2003, about one-quarter of all jobs in the heritage sub-sector were held by rural residents, while a little over one-fifth of all jobs in the visual arts sub-sector were held by rural residents.

Compared to both the average rural worker and the average culture worker, rural culture workers were more likely to be employed part-time. Between 1996 and 2003 for Canada as a whole, less than 20% of total workers and about 22% of culture sector workers were employed part-time. In comparison, 37% of rural culture sector workers were employed part-time.

Implications for Economic Development

While a strong culture sector can improve the economic prosperity of a community through job creation, it also has peculiar advantages. Cultural vitality elevates the quality of life and thus increases the attractiveness of a locality to potential new residents, tourists, and investors. It also helps combat a common rural challenge - youth retention. How often do we here: "there is nothing to do here..."

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