April 2022 employment numbers for Brantford showed the jobless rate decline for the 5th straight month.
April’s unemployment rate fell to 4.8%, from 5.1% in March, the lowest since January 2020, according to Statistics Canada’s latest survey of Brantford area residents.
Brantford has a lower unemployment rate than the nearby communities of Hamilton, Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, St. Catharines-Niagara and Guelph, while London recorded the same 4.8% figure.
April 2022 employment was little changed across Canada, with the national jobless rate inching down to 5.2%. Ontario’s unemployment rate inched up to 5.4%.
Canada’s unemployment rate for people in the core working ages of 25 to 54 was 4.3%, the lowest since comparable data became available in 1976.
“There are signs of an increasingly tight labour force in the Brantford area,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforce Planning Board’s executive director. “The number of residents participating in the labour market has declined, meaning there are fewer potential workers for our employers to draw on.”
Since April 2021, the Brantford area labour force has shrunk by an estimated 3,300 people, a figure that includes 1,800 fewer employed. Meanwhile, the percentage of adults participating in the labour force fell 3.6%.
Dalton said there’s still a strong appetite from employers for workers, with lots of competition for a smaller pool of potential workers.
There were a record 4,100 postings in April on Grand Erie Jobs, the region’s largest job board that is operated by the Workforce Planning Board.
“The number of companies looking for and competing for workers has increased, and businesses are doing more to stand out, including participating in job fairs and advertising more,” Dalton said.
“Firms are also focusing on keeping the workers they have, either by increasing wages and benefits, or improving work-life balance for employees. A survey the Workforce Planning Board conducted last year showed that people are attracted to workplaces that offer good work-life balance.”
Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read its news release on April 2022 employment in Canada and Ontario.
