Off Farm Employment

Basic Aspects of the Issue

As Bollman and Rounds note that "rural development involves a complex intermingling of natural resource mobilization, human resource development, and socio-economic activities that co-ordinate societal goals" (p.ii Employment trends in Rural Manitoba, see below). In other words, things are often more complex than they seem on the surface.

The reasons for women working in the larger society, as on the farm are often multiply motivated. The patterns of off-farm employment by the various members of a family can change year to year, season to season. The drying up of services in towns can have a huge impact on the family dynamics of the arm as one, other or both spouses lose outside employment, and commuting distances shift. Urban employers may or may not shift out to cheaper employment areas now as their firms move through their growth cycle, with ever-increasing speeds of product-cycle owing to the effects of globalization.

Such factors make the world of off-farm employment a very dynamic aspect of restructuring in rural Manitoba.

Rural Development Institute Research Studies

• "Off-Farm Employment in Agro- Manitoba" - Ken Bessant, Richard Rounds, and Erasmus Monu
  Rural (agricultural) restructuring has been going on since the depression of the 1930's and family adjustments have been moving in pace. Changes have occurred in the type of operations, number of farms, and increased acreage per farm. A move to increasing off-farm employment was noted in the 1941 census.

  Ten Manitoba Communities and 50 farms surrounding each were studied b local research assistants. The responses were fairly even over the province with the exception of Portage la Prairie. The results certainly did not match up with the stereotype of off-farm employment, making it a very interesting study.

  The study noted:

  • That the amount of time and number of people involved is increasing
  • Towns and farms are being brought closer together owing to the farm spouses taking jobs in town as town populations rise in age.
  • Rural development must see the parts and the whole of this phenomenon.

  The reasons for off farm employment were found to be quite varied:

  • to sustain farm viability and ward off failure (the usual view)
  • diversification
  • wise use of seasonally free time
  • money for preservation or increase of opportunities
  • female careers
  • enhansed lifestyle

• "Employment Trends in Rural Manitoba- The Role Of Manufacturing" Ray Bollman and Richard Rounds.
  The authors note that industry adds value to raw materials and rewards human enterprise. In the rural area, it is mostly primary manufacturing with a little bit of secondary and tertiary:
  • grain and animals into meat and food products
  • timber into lumber
  • ore into metal

  This study is an overall comparison of variety of types of manufacturing in Manitoba, and provides good basic data.

  • 7-8% of manufacturing is in rural centers
  • 75% of all manufacturing is in Winnipeg and is very sable
  • 10-12% of Manitoba GDP is manufacturing factors
  • 13-14% of Manitoba GDP is manufacturing Labor
  Services are to this sector mostly, forming a huge government target area. It is helpful to not the sectors being manipulated by incentives.

• "Issues Related to Value Added Processing of Ag Products in Manitoba" - Thomas J. McEwan and Richard Rounds.
  This study was to tease out the impediments to the development of value added processing of agricultural raw materials, owing to the slow pace of development in Manitoba. 11 cross-disciplinary meetings were held of twelve sectors, with representatives of field people in industry. The results are noted as being suggestive rather than exhaustive. Impediments were thought to be:
  • marketing boards (negative)
  • The crow rate (negative)
  • Foreign Trade Sanctions (negative) and the need for capital.
  • Manitoba farmers were felt to be OK at the farm gate
  • Reductions in technical and resource support
  • Unity needed

• "Rural Employment - An International Perspective" -
  

Other Resources