As the national capital of Canada, and one of the country's oldest cities, Ottawa has a rich history. From its rich architecture to its political foundations, Ottawa serves as not just a political center for Canada but also a business center as well. What this means for people living or moving to the area is that jobs in Ottawa offer the chance for prosperous, globally recognized careers.

Since the earliest days Ottawa has been at the center of Canadian business. One of the earliest businesses to spring up from the settling of the new world was the fur trade, and the Ottawa River was vital to this operation. The Hudson Bay Company sent furs and other goods along this passage en route to Montreal and Quebec City and eventually across the Atlantic to Europe. Years later, Philemon Wright used this same passage to turn a failing agricultural business into a prosperous timber trade, a business that would eventually overtake the fur trade as the leading economic trade in the Ottawa Valley. After the War of 1812, the government started the first Canada foreign worker program when it brought workers from Ireland to help in the building of the Rideau Canal.

Ottawa has grown a great deal since the fur and timber trading days. Today, the biggest employment sector is, of course, the government. However, for those uninterested in politics, there are many thriving and steady sectors to start a career in, ranging from technology services right down to laser hair removal.

Like many major cities, one of the biggest employment sectors is what's referred to as the FIRE sector, an acronym for Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate. With over 30,000 residents employed in these fields, new comers still have a viable chance at making it into the industry, particularly if they enlist the help of a recruiting firm. The FIRE sector has also shown great resiliency during the economic downturn, showing growth in employment rather than declines.

Though the bubble has burst on the new technologies sector in Ottawa, it is still a viable career choice and a strong part of Ottawa's current business identity. Reputable companies such as Bell, IBM, Telus, 3M, and Intel have set up shop in Ottawa, providing the region with over upwards of 76,000 jobs for the city from over 1,800 employers.

The technologies sector doesn't stop with manufacturing and business, either. As diverse as class action suits in Canada, research and development is another key field of operations for Ottawa tech companies. Accounting for 90% of Canada's total R & D development, Ottawa is one of the top five technology research sites in the entire world, and the government has recognized the necessity of this industry with upwards of $3.8 billion dollars in funding. All this makes the technology sector as vital to the city as the fur and timber trades were so long ago.

Forever at the center of Canadian life, Ottawa continues to be a strong leader not just on the political stage, but in the business arena as well.