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BY PATRICK MANGION Staff Writer Blueâ€"collar workers are being squeezed out of aYork Region econ- omy heavily dependent on service- producing jobs. Andrew Dequilla, 8, enjoys the splash pad on Hoover Park Drive Wednesday. The three Stoufl'ville water parks should remain busy this weekend. See page 3 for more on the parks. The region has shed more than 3,600 manufacturing jobs the past two years, which could point to financial hardship for some local workers, said Daniel Drache, a political science professor at York Blue-collar obs disappearing in York University and the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies. That means job seekers are far more likely to find help wanted ads for health care, real estate, finance, retail and education careers than construction or manufacturing, according to the region’s recently released 2007 report on employ- ment and industry. Nearly three in are service-related. Region lost 3,600 manufacturing jobs in past two years four local jobs “i, ' AUTO - HOME - 64 Sandlford Drive, Unit 1, Personalized Insurance Service WEI'TEH THE BETTER More than 26,000 York Region businesses were surveyed in the report, which revealed a widening gap between white collar and blue- collar jobs. Four years ago, 67 per cent of all jobs in the region were service- related, compared to 33 per cent goods producing. such as manuâ€" facturing. Last year, those numbers were 73 per cent service-related; 27 per The dismal manufacturing trend hit home when more than 2,000 workers were suddenly dismissed when Progressive Moulded Prodâ€" ucts closed its doors in Vaughan earlier this month and Aurora’s Magna International laid off about 400 workers at a St. Thomas plant. cent goods-producing. “Imagine going from making $16 an hour in manufacturing to $10 or $12 in retail. With our low mini- The shrinking proportion of production jobs is something the region will monitor, said John Waller, director of long-term planâ€" ning. mum wage, it could push people into holding down several jobs,” Mr. Drache said. “There is work to do. But York Region has a strong, diverse economy See EMPLOYMENT, page 7‘ STAFF PHOTO/SJOERD WITTEVEEN