Regional Forecast
Manitoba consists of six economic regions with unique economic and labour market conditions that determine available employment opportunities and labour demand.
Figure 1: Five-year Job Openings by Economic Region
Table 1: Employment and Job Openings Across Economic Regions in Manitoba
| Region | Employment 2022 |
Labour Force Participation Rate 2022 | Unemployment Rate 2022 | 5-Year Employment Growth Rate1 2023–2027 |
Job Openings 2023-20272 | ||
| Expansion | Replacement | Total | |||||
| Winnipeg | 421,900 | 68.2% | 4.8% | 3.1% | 22,260 | 49,640 | 71,900 |
| Southeast | 65,200 | 67.3% | 4.3% | 1.7% | 4,300 | 7,900 | 12,200 |
| Southwest | 56,500 | 64.9% | 4.1% | 8.7% | 6,580 | 6,720 | 13,300 |
| North Central and South Central |
58,000 | 65.8% | 4.1% | 2.8% | 2,340 | 7,060 | 9,400 |
| Interlake | 45,000 | 60.5% | 4.9% | -0.3% | 200 | 6,200 | 6,400 |
| Parklands and North | 33,000 | 61.7% | 3.9% | -2.9% | -180 | 3,680 | 3,500 |
| TOTAL | 679,600 | 66.7% | 4.6% | 2.9% | 35,500 | 81,200 | 116,700 |
1 Values under 5-Year Employment Growth Rate 2023-2027 correspond to the cumulative growth rate for the entire 5-year period.
2 Job Openings by Expansion and Replacement correspond to the total 5 year forecast period.
Note: The total number of job openings identified in this table varies from the overall provincial total due to some differences in the data available at a regional level and rounding of numbers.
Winnipeg Region
The Winnipeg economic region is comprised of the City of Winnipeg and the Rural Municipality of Headingley census subdivisions and is home to over half of Manitoba’s population.
In 2022, the region had an employed workforce of 421,900 individuals, an unemployment rate of 4.8% (second highest in the province) and the highest labour force participation in Manitoba at 68.2%.
Winnipeg’s three largest industries in terms of employment are healthcare and social assistance, wholesale and retail trade and manufacturing.
The following table presents the estimated job openings by broad occupational categories (1-digit National Occupational Classification – NOC 2021) between 2023 and 2027 in the Winnipeg region.
Job openings are expected to be highest in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (11,700); sales and service occupations (11,400); business, finance and administration occupations (11,300); and education, law and social, community and government services (11,300).
Table 2: Five-Year Job Openings by NOC Unit Group for the Winnipeg Region
| NOC – Title | |||
| 5 Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport | 660 | 1,340 | 2,000 |
| Total |
Southeast Region
The Southeast region is the second most populated region and includes Census Divisions 1, 2 and 12. Its largest communities include Steinbach, Lac du Bonnet, Niverville and Powerview-Pine Falls.
In 2022, the region had an employed workforce of 65,200 individuals (estimated), an unemployment rate of 4.3% (below the provincial average of 4.6%), and a labour force participation rate of 67.3%.
Southeast’s three largest industries in terms of employment are construction, wholesale and retail trade and healthcare and social assistance.
The following table presents the estimated job openings by 1-digit NOC, between 2023 and 2027 in the Southeast region.
Job openings are expected to be highest in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (3,300), followed by sales and service occupations (3,000), health occupations (1,350) and management occupations (1,400).
Table 3: Five-Year Job Openings by NOC Unit Group for the Southeast Region
| NOC – Title | |||
| 5 Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport | -100 | 170 | 70 |
| Total |
Southwest Region
The Southwest region encompasses Census Divisions 5, 6, 7 and 15, is the third most populated region and includes the province’s second-largest city, Brandon.
In 2022, the region had an employed workforce of 56,500 individuals (estimated), an unemployment rate of 4.1% (tied for the second lowest in the province) and a labour force participation of 64.9%.
Southwest’s three largest industries in terms of employment are healthcare and social assistance, wholesale and retail trade and manufacturing.
The following table presents the estimated job openings by 1-digit NOC, between 2023 and 2027 in the Southwest region.
Job openings are expected to be highest in sales and service occupations (2,740), trades, transport and equipment operators (2,110), education, law and social, community and government services (1,990) and business, finance and administration occupations (1,870).
Table 4: Five-Year Job Openings by NOC Unit Group for the Southwest Region
| NOC – Title | |||
| 5 Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport | 170 | 50 | 220 |
| Total |
North Central and South Central Regions
The North Central region includes Census Divisions 8, 9 and 10 while the South Central region is made up of Census Divisions 3 and 4. Combined, they are the fourth most populated Manitoba region with major centres including Portage la Prairie, Winkler, Morden and Altona.
In 2022, the regions had an employed workforce of 58,000 individuals (estimated), an unemployment rate of 4.1% (tied for the second lowest in the province) and a labour force participation rate of 65.8%.
North Central and South Central’s three largest industries in terms of employment are manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade and healthcare and social assistance.
The following table presents the estimated job openings by 1-digit NOC, between 2023 and 2027 in the North Central and South Central regions combined.
Job openings are expected to be highest in occupations in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (2,780), education, law and social, community and government services (2,360) and business, finance and administration occupations (1,370).
Table 5: Five-Year Job Openings by NOC Unit Group for the North Central and South Central Regions
| NOC – Title | |||
| 5 Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport | 60 | 0 | 60 |
| Total |
Interlake Region
The Interlake region includes Census Divisions 13 14, and 18. It is the fifth largest Manitoba region by population and includes the communities of Selkirk, Stonewall, East St. Paul and West St Paul. Many individuals commute from these population centres to the City of Winnipeg for work on a daily basis.
In 2022, the region had an employed workforce of 45,000 individuals (estimated), an unemployment rate of 4.9% (the highest in the province) and a labour force participation rate of 60.5% (the lowest in the province).
Interlake’s three largest industries in terms of employment are wholesale and retail trade, healthcare and social assistance and education services.
The following table presents the estimated job openings by 1-digit NOC, between 2023 and 2027 in the Interlake region.
The region is one of two in the province that is expected to experience economic contraction and all net job openings are expected to be the result of retirements of existing workers. Job openings are expected to be highest in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (1,860), management occupations (1,280) and education, law and social, community and government services (1,330).
Table 6: Five-Year Job Openings by NOC Unit Group for the Interlake Region
| NOC – Title | |||
| 5 Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Total |
Parklands and North Regions
The Parklands region includes Census Divisions 16, 17 and 20 while the North region comprises Census Divisions 19, 21, 22 and 23. Combined, they are the largest by area, but the smallest in terms of employment. They rely on natural resource extraction for a significant proportion of their economic activity. Major population centres include Thompson, Dauphin, The Pas and Flin Flon.
In 2022, these regions were estimated to have an employed workforce of 33,000 individuals. Please note that these forecasts exclude employment in First Nations communities.
The regions had an unemployment rate of 3.9% (the lowest in the province) and a labour force participation rate of 61.7% in 2022 (the second lowest in Manitoba).
Parklands and North’s three largest industries in terms of employment are healthcare and social assistance, wholesale and retail trade and educational services.
The following table presents the estimated job openings by 1-digit NOC, between 2023 and 2027 in the Parklands and North regions.
The North region is one of two regions in the province where the employment is expected to contract over the next five years, with all net job openings resulting from retirements.
Job openings are expected to be highest in sales and service occupations (900), business, finance and administration occupations (880) and trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (680).
Table 7: Five-Year Job Openings by NOC Unit Group for the Parklands and North Regions
| NOC – Title | |||
| 5 Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport | -100 | 40 | -60 |
| Total |
