Bethany Ontario

If you are looking for a new job in 2017 it might be worth considering the businesses who employ the most people. I was surprised to learn there are actually 144 employers in Peterborough who employ 40 or more people.

The biggest employer weighs in with 2,410 employees. Not surprising, it’s the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).

The PRHC is a state-of-the-art regional hospital with a proud local history, spanning more than a 100 years. The hospital serves a population of 300,000 people in Peterborough and the surrounding region. It has a capacity of 494 beds and has one of the busiest Emergency Departments in Ontario.

The second largest employer is the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board with 1,500 employees from the Peterborough-area schools and the school boards’ head offices.

Tied for third and fourth with 1,163 employees is the City of Peterborough and Trent University.

The listing provides a candid view of the local economy in the Peterborough area. And the Mayor of the City of Peterborough, Daryl Bennett indicates the area is a welcome place for individuals, students, families and businesses:

“With our impressive network of schools, healthcare centres, shops and services and thriving arts community, Peterborough is the perfect place for people to grow up and to grow old. With our strong creative economy and access to global markets, it is also the perfect place to grow a business.”  

You can see the full list of the 144 largest employers in Peterborough at http://www.mykawartha.com/news-story/6412481-meet-the-top-144-employers-in-peterborough/

Peterborough Economic Development outlines the main sectors that drive the local economy:

• Aerospace
• Water Technologies
• Advanced Manufacturing
• Tourism
• Agriculture
• Nuclear Energy

The area has what is called a “Creative Economy”, an economy that is driven by both knowledge and innovation. Thomas Edison was certainly an innovative thinker as he founded General Electric Canada in Peterborough over 100 years ago.

The Regional Economic Profile for Peterborough and the Kawarthas provides a detailed overview of the local business community. You can download the full report at

http://peterboroughed.ca/wp-content/uploads/ped-community-profile.pdf