Translation Services in Winnipeg – Economic Profile
Often referred to as the “Gateway to the West”, Winnipeg is the largest city and capital of the Canadian province of Manitoba, the eighth largest Census Metropolitan Areas (CMA) in Canada. About 695,000 people live in the Winnipeg Census Metropolitan Area.
According to the Conference Board of Canada, Winnipeg has the third-fastest growing economy among Canada's major cities. In 2003 and 2004, Canadian Business magazine ranked Winnipeg in the top 10 cities for business. The City of Winnipeg has several key sectors contributing to its fast growing economy, including transportation, finance, manufacturing, agriculture and education. Real estate was also booming in 2007 and a major contributor to this city’s economy.
The extensive presence of provincial government organizations has a significant impact on the economy in Winnipeg. The major employers in Winnipeg and the surrounding area are either government or government-funded institutions: the Province of Manitoba, the City of Winnipeg, the University of Manitoba, the Health Sciences Centre, the Casinos of Winnipeg, and Manitoba Hydro. Approximately 54,000 people or 14% of the work force are employed in the public sector. Several large corporations are also headquartered in the Winnipeg area, such as Manitoba Telecom Services, CanWest Global Communications, Palliser Furniture, Great-West Life Assurance, Motor Coach Industries, Convergys, New Flyer Industries, Boeing Canada Technology, and Bristol Aerospace. The presence of these large organizations results in significant demand for multi-lingual services.
Winnipeg is an important regional centre of culture and education. It is home to the world famous Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Winnipeg is the site of four universities and one major college: the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg, le Collège Universitaire de Saint-Boniface, Canadian Mennonite University, and Red River College. It is also home to the National Microbiology Laboratory, Canada's front line in its response to SARS.
Though 99% of Winnipeggers speak fluent English, there are more than 20 languages spoken in Winnipeg. Eleven percent can speak both English and French. The other widely used languages in the city include German (4.1%), Tagalog (3.4%), Ukrainian (3.1%), Spanish, as well as Chinese and Polish (all three spoken by 1.7% of the population). In addition, the city has the highest concentration of people of Filipino origin in Canada, and with almost 30,000 residents, the second largest Filipino population after Toronto. Therefore, multi-lingual services are playing an increasingly important role in providing effective cross-cultural communication in Winnipeg.
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