Oshawa’s roots are tied to the automobile industry, specifically the Canadian division of General Motors, known as General Motors Canada. Founded in 1876 as the McLaughlin Carriage Company, General Motors of Canada's headquarters are located in the city. The automotive industry was the inspiration for Oshawa's previous mottos: "The City that Motovates Canada", and "The City in Motion". The lavish home of the carriage company's founder, Parkwood Estate, is a National Historic Site of Canada, and a backdrop favoured by numerous film crews, featured in many films including It, Billy Madison, Chicago, and X-Men.<sup id="cite_ref-Orr_8-0" class="reference">[8]</sup>

Once recognized as the sole "Automotive Capital of Canada",<sup id="cite_ref-capital_9-0" class="reference">[9]</sup> Oshawa today is an education and health sciences hub. The city is home to three post-secondary institutions (Durham College, Trent University Durham and University of Ontario Institute of Technology) and to Lakeridge Health Oshawa, Lakeridge Health and Education Research Network (LHEARN Centre) and the Oshawa Clinic, the largest, multi-specialty medical group practice in Canada.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference">[10]</sup> Key labour force sectors include advanced manufacturing, health technology, logistics, energy and IT.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference">[11]</sup> In 2016, Oshawa was the sixth best place in Canada to find full-time employment based on data from StatsCan.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference">[12]</sup>

Downtown Oshawa is identified as an Urban Growth Centre in the Government of Ontario's Places to Grow initiative.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference">[13]</sup> More than 5,000 people work and more than 2,400 university students study in the downtown core. The downtown is a prominent centre for entertainment and sporting events (Regent Theatre and Tribute Communities Centre), food (50+ restaurants and cafes <sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference">[14]</sup>) and culture (The Robert McLaughlin Gallery and Canadian Automotive Museum). Oshawa is home to a Regional Innovation Centre<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference">[15]</sup> and offers start-up facilities for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Co-working offices are also located in the downtown.