Professional Services & Back-Office Operations
Sector Profile
Windsor-Essex is home to a variety of call centre, back-office and information-based operations including dedicated facilities and privately-held companies peripherally engaged in call centre and back-office operations. The professional services sector employs over 21,000 people in the region, has a less than 2% saturation of contact centre employment and an annual GDP of $600 million.
Legal and accounting firms, engineering/construction consulting firms, advertising and marketing agencies, management, technical and design consultancies, human resources services - all are vital businesses in the region. Thanks to a highly educated workforce, great international connections and low operating costs, Windsor-Essex businesses have an excellent support network that is essential to success.
Sector Highlights
- Large pool of available labour
- Post-secondary institutions offer training in finance, information technology and human resources
- Over 100 languages are spoken in the region and 15% of the population speaks more than one language
- Almost 10% of the regional population can speak French
- Facility lease rates are up to 50% less than the Greater Toronto Area
Education and Research
University of Windsor
- Odette School of Business offers Accounting, Finance, Management, Management Science, Marketing and Strategy courses.
- Programs in Computer Science include Applied Computing, Computer Information Systems and Software Engineering
St. Clair College
- Programs in Accounting, Marketing, Finance, Human Resources, International Business and Computer Systems Technology programs
Other institutions within 30 miles:
- Collège Boréal, TriOS College
- Wayne State University, University of Michigan
- Almost 6,000 Business Admin, Finance and IT-related graduates
Industry Strengths
- Canada’s largest catchment area with over 7.7 million people within a 90-minute drive
- Over 85% of businesses in the region have access to fibre optic/broadband
- MNCs report high retention rates of employees
- Over 140,000 financial services employees in Windsor-Essex and southeast Michigan
Accessible, Great Quality of Life
- A 30-minute drive to Detroit Metro Airport, hub for Delta Airlines
- Mild climate with 7 months of shirt-sleeve weather
- Housing prices among the lowest in Canada, one-third the price of the Greater Toronto Area
- Shortest average commute time in southern Ontario
- 106 miles of shoreline
- Small city feel with big city amenities
Most Business-Friendly Location
- Low Canadian dollar
- Lower healthcare costs
- Serviced land costs among the continent’s most attractive
- Lower Ontario corporate tax rate for manufacturers compared to U.S.
- A diverse community with 22% of the population foreign born
- Business Ombudsman in place to support investors and businesses
