May 2024 employment in Brantford-Brant reached a one-year high, while the jobless rate continued to hover around 5%.
May’s local unemployment rate was 4.9%, the same as from January to March, and just below April’s 5%, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released by Statistics Canada.
At the same time, the local employment rate – the percentage of the population 15 years and older who are working – reached 64.8%, the highest since May 2023.
May 2024 employment numbers showed Ontario gained 50,000 jobs – the most in Canada – and the provincial jobless rate dipped to 6.7%. Employment grew by a net 27,000 gain across Canada last month, as employment fell in some provinces. The national jobless rate inched up to 6.2%.
The overall size of Brantford-Brant’s labour force has grown by 1,900 since May 2023, with 1,100 of those people finding work, while the other 800 have not.
“Those numbers are a reminder that even with Brantford having one of the lowest unemployment rates in Ontario, there are local residents who need supports and help finding jobs,” said Danette Dalton, of the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie.
“There are a lot of great local organizations working to help people find jobs and to boost their skills.”
Dalton said residents can turn to different types of supports, including: government-funded employment centres, literacy and basic skills services, organizations that help residents with special needs or newcomers, and free job training programs such as the planning board’s new Skills2Advance Try a Trade.
“These organizations also work with local employers to help them find the workers they need,” she said. “Neither job seekers nor businesses should shy away from reaching out to ask for help.”
There were more than 2,150 new jobs posts – a 13% increase – in May on Grand Erie Jobs, the online job website operated by the planning board. There was also a 19% increase in active jobs posts, with 4,250, while 11% more companies advertised jobs compared to April.
Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read their news release on the May 2024 employment numbers for Canada and Ontario.
