Category: ESPC Publications: Tracking the Trends

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Note: This is excerpted from the Tracking the Trends publication. 

Edmonton Social Planning Council (ESPC) has been producing Tracking the Trends since 1989. This report has tracked a number of social and economic data in order to provide a comprehensive overview of Edmonton’s social well-being and how it has changed over time. However, launched in 2021, ESPC began sharing the data traditionally reported in Tracking the Trends through our new Social Well-Being Tracker (the Tracker), which allowed us to update the data on a timely basis and provide new ways to interact with it.

As such, we have decided to discontinue Tracking the Trends in its original format, and instead use this report as an opportunity to take a critical look into our indicators. The indicators presented through Tracking the Trends, and now through the Tracker, are meant to investigate different elements of social well-being. However, social well-being is complicated. How do these indicators relate to well-being? What factors, not shared on the Tracker, influence this relationship? What are these numbers really showing?

Through this new Tracking the Trends report, each issue will spotlight one section of the tracker, and dive into how that particular set of indicators influences well-being. For this first edition, ESPC will take a look at employment trends. While increased employment rates have traditionally been seen as an indicator of increased community well-being, this edition will take a critical look at some of the systemic forces that influence these trends. When employment increases, what jobs are people getting? Are they stable and secure? What are typical working conditions? How does work make people feel? How does work influence one’s personal life? All these questions influence people’s well-being at work and into their lives in general.

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COMMUNITY MATTERS – MARCH 2023

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To get your copy of Tracking the Trends, click here to download Publication Mail In Order Form or use the PayPal option below.

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The Edmonton Social Planning Council (ESPC) today released the 2015 edition of its flagship publication Tracking the Trends. The 128-page publication provides a detailed analysis of social and economic trends in Edmonton. Information is provided about population demographics, education and employment, living costs & housing, income & wealth, and poverty trends that together comprise the social health of Edmontonians.

“Whether planning programs or developing policies, timely accurate information is critical to informed decision-making,” said John Kolkman, the ESPC’s Research Coordinator. “Tracking the Trends is a one-stop resource for identifying and analyzing a broad range of social and economic trends impacting those with low and modest incomes in our community,” he added.

“An overarching message in this year’s Tracking the Trends is that—following several years of strong employment and income growth—Edmonton is entering a period of increased uncertainty due to a collapse in oil and natural gas prices. The impact of this change is starting to show up in some of the trends we follow,” noted Kolkman.

Kolkman highlighted several key Edmonton trends reflecting this uncertainty:

• Job growth has leveled off so far in 2015, following several years of strong growth (p. 21);
• The number of people receiving Employment Insurance regular benefits is up 55.1% in the first eight months of 2015, compared to the level in 2014 (p. 79);
• A 9.1% increase in the number of Edmonton households receiving Alberta Works (social assistance) benefits in the first nine months of 2015, compared to the 2014 average (p. 77);
• 14,794 individuals were served by Edmonton’s Food Bank in March 2015, up 15.4% compared to a year earlier (p. 37);
• At 4.2% in October 2015, the rental vacancy rate is up significantly, meaning increased availability. Rents are still up 2.2% from a year earlier to $1,259 per month for a two-bedroom unit (p. 32).

Tracking the Trends 2015 also identifies a number of concerning trends:

• 128,810 people in metro Edmonton lived in poverty in 2013, 10.5% of the population. 41,640 were children and youth under 18, 15.2% of all children and youth (pp. 72, 74);
• While median family incomes are up overall, much of this increase has gone to the highest income earners. Since 1982, the top 1% of Edmonton taxfilers have seen their after-tax incomes, after accounting for inflation, go up by 53.4% compared to only a 5.9% increase for the bottom 50% of taxfilers (p. 52);
• There continues to be a significant income gap based on gender. In 2013, female taxfilers median total income was $31,460 compared to $55,060 for male taxfilers (p. 46).
• In 2011, 59.2% of poor children lived in families where at least one parent works full-time for the full-year. A job is not necessarily a ticket out of poverty (p. 70); and
• There was a 6.2% increase in homelessness between October 2012 and October 2014. There is also a trend toward an increased number of youth experiencing homelessness (p. 36). The number of homeless people is still down 25.1% from its October 2008 peak.

Kolkman said the report also finds many positive trends:

• The steady improvement in educational attainment as measured by high school completion and post-secondary attainment continues. However, almost one in five young adults fails to complete high school within five years showing room for further improvement (p. 27);
• Compared to other Canadian urban centres, Edmonton has a relatively young population with a median age of 35.9 (p. 4). This sets the stage for more people making an economic contribution in the future;
• Government income transfers lifted 53,960 Alberta children and youth above the poverty line in 2013 (p. 67);
• Aboriginals 15 years and older earn a slightly higher percentage of their income from employment (82%) compared to the total Edmonton population (81%) (p. 50); and
• Reductions in the number of Edmonton children in government care due to a focus on supporting children in their birth families (p. 94); and
• Employment earnings provide the main source of income for all family types including lone parents (p. 48).

Tracking the Trends 2015 combines 22 key indicators grouped into 5 categories into a Social Health Index (pp. 106-111). Categories where Edmonton does well are financial security and personal & family stability. Edmonton is doing more poorly on population health and participation & environmental indicators.

“The bottom line is a 20.1% improvement in Edmonton’s social health since the year 2000. During this time period, Edmonton’s social health improved at a more rapid rate than the 14.5% growth in Alberta GDP per person,” Kolkman concluded.

ESPC Documents/PUBLICATIONS/A.06.F TRACKING THE TRENDS/Tracking the TRENDS 2015 FINAL.pdf

To get your copy of the 2013 Tracking the Trends, click here Publication Mail In Order Form or use the PayPal option below.

Whether for planning programs and services, or developing policies, timely, accurate information is critical. Likewise, an understanding of the historical context of social issues is critical to the development of effective strategies for positive social change.

Presenting data in a single source, such as Tracking the Trends, permits us to see the trends in the context of other social changes occurring simultaneously. For example, the Consumer Price Index and average rents have risen at a more rapid rate than Alberta Works benefits. This means an erosion of living standards for vulnerable Albertans relying on these benefits.

Most Canadian publications present data at the national or provincial level. Tracking the Trends includes primarily Edmonton-level data. This makes it a useful tool for people working on social issues in Edmonton and the surrounding region.

A Tool for the Public

Edmontonians’ awareness of social issues is critical to improving the inclusiveness of our communities. A better understanding of the challenges our fellow citizens face can affect the way we think of and treat each other. Regardless of our backgrounds, we all share this city and region, and have an interest in its healthy future.

A Tool for Decision-Makers

For a planner or policy maker, this collection of data provides a clearer understanding of the current and historical social conditions in Edmonton. This information can provide the background necessary to make informed decisions, and even the insight needed to anticipate future changes.

We encourage readers to use Tracking the Trends to assess how well all levels of government are fulfilling their role in ensuring citizens have the support they need to maintain a decent standard of living.

A Tool for Social Organizations and Researchers

The work of organizations involved in social development activities must be informed by the current and historical context. The information in Tracking the Trends will prove useful for program planning, organizational strategy-building, as well as other community development activities.

Students and researchers will also benefit from this rich and unified source of data to inform their research projects. Such in-depth research is important for expanding our knowledge of specific issues and informing social policy development.

ESPC Documents/PUBLICATIONS/tracking_the_trends_2013.pdf