Spatial labor markets and the rural labor force

Functional economic areas have long been recognized as the appropriate unit of analysis for examining the spatial organization of regional economic activity. While easily defined conceptually, few fine-tuned empirical delineations based on either trading or commuting patterns have been produced. In this paper, labor market areas (LMAs) based on commuting patterns of Saskatchewan residents are constructed for two points in time, 1981 and 1991. Detailed Statistics Canada data on place of work and place of residence for the experienced labor force were used; 38 distinct LMAs were identified for 1991, and 37 for 1981. The 15 largest LMAs, which included just under one-half of all rural municipalities (RMs) in southern Saskatchewan, grew in absolute terms and gained in relative importance during the decade. Another 23 (22) smaller LMAs in 1991 (1981), provided jobs for modest but declining numbers of both commuters and noncommuters. The remaining 30 percent of all RMs had such low or diffused levels of commuting that they were not included in any LMA in either year. A pattern apparent for all LMAs was an intensification of commuting within the labor market area Although there was a reduction in the number of commuters from centers of employment to surrounding areas between 1981 and 1991, there was an even larger increase in commuters to centers of employment. While commuting to a job in an urban center is still a distinct possibility for the rural labor force living within the 15 largest LMAs, it is increasingly less likely for those residing elsewhere in rural Saskatchewan. In these remote areas, alternatives to urban-based employment are required.