Workplace Count representatives to visit employers in Waterloo Region

From May to August 2016, members of the Region of Waterloo’s Workplace Count team will visit places of employment in Waterloo Region and gather important information that will help shape the future of our community.

The Workplace Count, a collaboration between the Region of Waterloo, the Cities and Townships, is a survey of places of employment in Waterloo Region. Home-based businesses and farms are not included at this time. The information provided by businesses will help the Region plan for future business growth in Waterloo Region and meet ongoing needs for services and infrastructure.

Members of the Workplace Count team will visit employers beginning in May. Team members will carry Region of Waterloo-issued photo identification. Information will be collected through a simple in-person questionnaire that will take about five minutes. Types of information collected will include:

• number of full, part-time and seasonal employees;
• type of employment activity, such as auto repair, high tech manufacturing, restaurant, etc.;
• square footage of space used for business; and
• contact information.

Staff will report back to Regional Council once all the data has been compiled and summaries of the results will be available to the public. Information related to individual employers will not be published without their permission. This comprehensive count of workplaces will provide the most detailed workplace data in Waterloo Region, building on the first Workplace Count conducted in 2011 in our community. Similar questionnaires have been undertaken in other municipalities, such as Halton, Mississauga, Durham, Hamilton, Toronto and York.

For more information on the project, please visit the Workplace Count webpage at www.regionofwaterloo.ca/workplacecount.

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For more information:
Margaret Parkin, Manager, Planning, Research & Analytics: 519-575-4018 or mparkin@regionofwaterloo.ca