WPBGE, Author at Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie

Jobless rate remains lowest in wider area

by WPBGE | Aug 10, 2023 | Press Release, Workforce Planning Board Of Grand Erie News

July 2023 employment figures showed the Grand Erie region tied for the second lowest jobless rate in Ontario.

The Brantford area unemployment rate rose to 4.2% last month, up from June’s 3.9%, according to seasonally adjusted estimates released by Statistics Canada.

The national rate rose slightly to 5.5%, while Ontario’s unemployment rate shrunk 0.1 point to 5.6%.

Brantford continues to boast the lowest jobless rate compared to surrounding census metropolitan areas, with Guelph following closely behind at 4.4%.

Youth participation and employment both increased, but this was offset by significant decreases amongst core working age and older adults. Both full and part-time employment decreased month over month.

“We’re seeing a growing number of older adults leave the labour force, which creates more job openings, but many of these are hard to fill because there’s a limited labour supply,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie’s executive director.

“For the past few months, we’ve observed increases in the number of core-working aged adults not in the labour force, and we need to strategize ways to support these individuals by addressing obstacles that deter them from looking for work.

“We recently completed an in-depth study designed to better understand how workers can be supported through improving quality of work across workplaces. We observed major gaps in how employers and employees viewed job quality, but also, significant opportunities for collaborations between sectors, governments, community agencies and workers.”

The WPBGE’s latest report Examining Quality of Work in Grand Erie: an assessment of needs, gaps and opportunities’ is set to be released later this month. The report will be posted to this website.

The Grand Erie Jobs online job board saw about 2350 new postings in July, down slightly from June. The retail trade industry maintained the largest number of postings – namely for retail salespersons, followed by the health care and social assistance, waste management and educational services sectors.

There were also a large number of postings for material handlers, other customer and information service representatives and personal support workers, as well as for university professors and lecturers.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read their report on July 2023 employment-related figures for Canada and Ontario.

Local jobless rate equals Ontario’s best

by WPBGE | Jul 7, 2023 | Press Release, Workforce Planning Board Of Grand Erie News

June 2023 employment numbers saw Brantford-Brant in a three-way tie for Ontario’s lowest jobless rate.

June saw the area’s unemployment rate fall to 3.9%, down from 4.1% in May, according to Statistics Canada’s estimates released on Friday. Meanwhile, Norfolk County’s jobless rate for June was 4.5%, almost the same as one year ago.

Brantford-Brant was tied with Kingston and Thunder Bay with 3.9% jobless rates. Among nearby communities, the lowest rate was Guelph’s 4.2%. Hamilton’s unemployment rate was 5%, while Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge was 6.2%.

Employment grew by 60,000 across Canada last month, but the jobless rate still climbed to 5.4% because more people searched for work. It was a similar story at the provincial level, as Ontario’s rate increased to 5.7%, despite employment being up 56,000.

“The local job market continues to be strong, with companies expanding and many active construction projects,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforce Planning Board’s executive director.

“Yet, at the same time, the number of people not in the labour force, from students to older adults, is the highest in more than 6 months. There are many potential workers we need to engage with to get them participating.”

People not in the labour force

The number of local adults 15 and over not in the labour force, meaning they were neither employed nor unemployed, was 40,400 in June, up more than 5,000 from last December.

“Some of those people were working over the winter but aren’t now. It’s unclear why,” Dalton said.

There were more than 2,700 job vacancies in June on Grand Erie Jobs, the area’s largest online job board, which is operated by the Workforce Planning Board. In total, there were 4,500 active job postings last month, with 1,500 employers looking to hire.

Retail salesperson is the No. 1 job in demand, while transport truck drivers, material handlers and customer service representatives were also heavily advertised for in June. There were also a large number of postings in education, from elementary school teachers to university lecturers.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read their news release on June 2023 employment numbers for Canada and Ontario.

Local unemployment rate continues to fall

by WPBGE | Jun 9, 2023 | Press Release, Workforce Planning Board Of Grand Erie News

Brantford-Brant’s unemployment rate dropped for the fourth consecutive month in May.

According to Statistics Canada’s monthly labour force survey, the area’s jobless rate shrunk 0.9 points to 4.1% in May, the lowest figure seen since July 2022.

Meanwhile, job gains slowed in Ontario and Canada. The national jobless rate rose to 5.2%, while the provincial rate climbed to 5.5% as a result of 24,000 fewer working.

Locally, employment dipped slightly in May but about 4,000 more people were working compared to May 2022.

The growth is concentrated in the manufacturing sector, but employment in finance and insurance also increased considerably compared to the same month in 2022.

Youth Participation in Decline

“While we remain optimistic given the year-over-year job growth, we do need to focus on supporting more youth with finding meaningful work as the summer approaches,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforce Planning Board’s executive director.

“We’re seeing a growing number of students unable to find stable part-time employment and a number of youths not participating in the labour force because they feel discouraged. We need to create more opportunities to mentor and engage them, to utilize their unique talents and help them build their skillsets.”

Local community agencies came together last month to host Epic Jobs 2023, which showcased exciting trades and career opportunities to 1,600 elementary school students from across the Grand Erie region.

Grand Erie Jobs, the online job board operated by the Workforce Planning Board, saw about 2,500 new postings in May, down slightly from April. The largest number of postings continues to be in healthcare and social assistance and manufacturing, but postings for food service and retail trade jobs also increased this past month.

Brant County Healthcare System had the largest number of new job posts in May, followed by several regional municipalities.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read their news release on May 2023 employment numbers for Canada and Ontario.

Brantford jobless rate mirrors that of Canada

by WPBGE | May 5, 2023 | Press Release, Workforce Planning Board Of Grand Erie News

April 2023 employment numbers saw Brantford-Brant’s jobless rate reach its lowest level in six months.

The area’s unemployment rate dropped to 5% in April, down from March’s 5.3%, according to seasonally adjusted figures released by Statistics Canada. It’s the lowest jobless figure since last October.

The Brantford unemployment rate matches the national rate of 5% and is just off Ontario’s 4.9%. Employment increased by 33,000 in Ontario in April, the bulk of Canada’s total 41,000 job gains.

Several nearby communities within a 1-hour drive have a lower jobless rate than Brantford-Brant, but only one – Guelph – has a higher employment rate.

“When you compare last month’s numbers to April 2022, you see that the number of people in Brantford’s labour force has grown by about 5,000 people in 12 months,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforce Planning Board’s executive director.

“That’s impressive. Even more impressive is that almost all of those people found jobs.”

Women see more job gains

Women saw a greater share of Brantford-Brant’s employment growth over the last year, adding about 2,300 full-time and 1,000 part-time positions. Employment for men grew by about 600 full-time and 1,100 part-time positions.

Women in the core working ages of 25 to 54 saw the most employment gains, while most of the gains for men were in the 55 to 64 age group. Employment declined for men in the 25 to 54 age group year over year, according too unadjusted figures from Statistics Canada.

There were about 2,700 new postings in April on Grand Erie Jobs, the Workforce Planning Board’s online job board, down about 5% from March. Postings came from about 1,100 different employers.

Tigercat Industries, which has plants in Brantford and Paris, had the largest number of new job posts last month. The other Top-5 employers for postings were all from the public sector, including a school board, hospital and a municipal government.

There is evidence that demand for employees will continue in 2023. Seventy-seven per cent of the 250 Grand Erie businesses who completed the Workforce Planning Board’s EmployerOne survey in January said they anticipate hiring in 2023. That percentage increased to 91% for Brantford based employers.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read their news release on April 2023 employment numbers for Canada and Ontario.

Local unemployment rate sees big decline

by WPBGE | Mar 10, 2023 | Press Release, Workforce Planning Board Of Grand Erie News

February 2023 employment numbers show that Brantford’s jobless rate fell for the firsst time in six months.

The Brantford-Brant unemployment rate last month was 5.8%, a one percentage drop from January’s 6.8%, according to Statistics Canada’s monthly labour force survey of area residents.

Job gains slowed in Ontario and for Canada as a whole in February. Canada’s jobless rate was unchanged at 5%, while Ontario nudged down to 5.1%.

Brantford’s jobless rate decreased largely due to fewer people being unemployed. Some of those people found jobs, while a greater share appears to have left the labour market.

“You don’t want to see people leave the labour market, especially at a time when some employers have shortages, but our overall level of employment remains impressive,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforce Planning Board’s executive director.

“Brantford has the second highest employment rate among nearby communities, only behind Guelph.”

Dalton said looking at the employment rate – the percentage of residents 15 years and older who are working – can give a fuller picture of the health of any community’s labour market.

For example, St. Catharines-Niagara’s jobless rate in February was 4.3% but its employment rate was 58.4%. By comparison, Brantford’s jobless rate looks worse at 5.8%, but the percentage of people employed is far better at 65.9%, she said.

Dalton added that Brantford’s February 2023 employment rate looks even more impressive when it comes to people in the core working ages of 24 to 54. Brantford’s employment rate for this age group is 89.3%, which is higher than nearby communities – and the second highest in Ontario.

“That’s a new high for this area according to Statistics Canada figures dating back to 2006,” she said.

There were about 2,500 new job postings in February across the region on the Grand Erie Jobs online job board. The largest number of postings continues to be in health care and social assistance, while postings in manufacturing and construction increased. The number of retail positions continues to slide, which is not unusual to see in the post-Christmas season.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read its news release on February employment in Canada and Ontario.