Windsor was one of the nation's hardest-hit municipalities during the global recession, but will see strong economic growth this year and next, the Conference Board of Canada said Wednesday.
This city's economy and job growth "are expected to accelerate sharply," the non-profit research organization said in its 2012 winter outlook.
Thanks in large part to construction of the $1.4-billion Windsor-Essex Parkway, job gains of an average of 2.3 per cent for each of the next two years are projected, the conference board said.
It said the local construction sector will expand by 12.9 per cent this year and 20 per cent in 2013.
"The good times for the construction sector are not expected to end any time soon," said the 96-page report, which reviews 14 Canadian metropolitan communities.
The parkway, expected to create at least 1,500 direct jobs at its peak, is anticipated to have a massive indirect impact by creating spinoff jobs for suppliers and leading to greater consumer spending at stores, restaurants and entertainment venues, the report said.
Housing starts are also expected to jump by about 100 this year to 750 units and to 960 units in 2013.
The news is even good for the downtrodden manufacturing sector which is projected to expand by 2.7 per cent this year and 2.8 per cent in 2013.
This can be attributed to stabilization of the auto sector and growth in green energy firms.
"The solid pace of job creation will allow Windsor's unemployment rate to fall from 9.5 per cent in 2011 to 8.6 per cent in 2013," the conference board concluded.
The projections may be too rosy, but this region's darkest days appear over, said Jim Lyons, executive director of the Windsor Construction Association.
"I kind of do for our members an outlook of our own and there is no question 2012 will be better than 2011," he said. "And 2011 was not that bad because of carry-over work from the (federal-provincial infrastructure stimulus) funds.
"The growth (projection) doesn't surprise me."
He listed several projects aside from the parkway that will provide jobs and spur the local economy such as construction of the new jail, downtown aquatic centre, Schlegel long-term care home, St. Clair College recreation centre and Walker Road widening.
"There is a much better outlook for the commercial-industrial-institutional sector than I've seen in the last decade," Lyons said. "I think we are in for good times for the foreseeable future."
But Dino Chiodo, president of the Windsor and District Labour Council, expressed caution. He remains concerned about the long-term creation of well-paying jobs.
"For the short term, you are going to see a number of jobs with wages that can support families," he said. "My concern is what is the long-term objective when in four or five years the 2,000 (parkway) jobs are gone. What do we do to maintain and sustain people in these jobs?
"We are going to see labour, small business and restaurant growth, then these people will be down to 100 to 200 jobs (on the parkway). It is good news, but that's the nervousness in this as we move forward."
As for the manufacturing sector, the Windsor area is not out of the woods, Chiodo said.
"We've been teetering for some time," he said. "We continue to look at this in an optimistic fashion, but cautious as we go on whether things will get better for us."
Companies continue to create pressures by attempting to get by with fewer employees, yet demanding more work to increase profits, Chiodo said. Meanwhile, CEO salaries continue to rise, creating a growing disparity with workers, he said.