The Brantford area’s job market strengthened in November, with improvements in numbers across the board.

Brantford-Brant’s jobless rate was 5.7% last month, down from October’s 6.5%, according to the latest Statistics Canada’s estimates, which are based on a three-month moving average that is seasonally adjusted.

Canada as a whole added 51,000 jobs but the unemployment rate still climbed 0.3% to 6.8% as more people looked for work. Ontario’s jobless rate jumped by almost a full percentage point to 7.6% – the highest it has been since 2014, excluding the 2020 and 2021 pandemic-impacted years.

After several consecutive weak months, the Brantford area saw all key employment indicators improve. Based on its survey of local households, Statistics Canada estimated that 1,100 more people were employed, while the number unemployed dropped by 600. November’s unemployment rate is the lowest it has been since June.

“November’s job numbers are a pleasant surprise. They show that people returning to the job market found work,” said Danette Dalton, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie.

“But we still have to remember that there are many people in our communities that are struggling and will need help through the holiday season and afterwards. Poverty doesn’t take a holiday, so it is important to support our neighbours and charities that support our neighbours.”

Brantford-Brant’s November unemployment rate was the lowest among nearby communities. Hamilton and Guelph had sizeable increases in their jobless rates, while Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, St. Catharines-Niagara and London were basically unchanged.

Despite November’s positive job numbers for the Brantford area, there continues to be signs that hiring is slowing down, Dalton said.

The number of new positions appearing on the Grand Erie Jobs online job board dropped last month by almost 20%. Grand Erie Jobs also saw a 20% decrease in the number of businesses with posted jobs.

“Similar job boards in other communities are also seeing fewer postings,” Dalton said. “It may be because hiring usually slows down over the winter, but we’ll see. It would be good to start 2025 on a positive note.”

Job boards operated by other workforce planning boards have seen the same thing. There was a 10% drop in the number of companies posting in the Hamilton and London areas.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read their news release on the November 2024 employment numbers for Canada and Ontario.

Brantford-Brant’s jobless rate stood unchanged at 7% last month, according to Statistic Canada’s seasonally adjusted estimates, which are based on a monthly survey of area households.

 Across Canada, the unemployment rate dropped 0.1 percentage point to 6.5%, while in Ontario, it dropped 0.2 percentage points to 6.9%.

 Some surrounding communities saw unemployment rise, while others saw it drop. St. Catherines-Niagara tied with Brantford for the second highest rate, below Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (7.6%). 

 Locally, job losses were mostly experienced by core-aged men (i.e. 25 – 54 years old), working in manufacturing, construction and wholesale trade sectors. Participation and employment amongst females did not change significantly, but many of these individuals switched from full-time to part-time work.

 “Our workforce is discouraged.” said Danette Dalton, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie. “Hiring has slowed, and some jobseekers are leaving the workforce because they are unable to find suitable work.” 

“We are seeing many community agencies step up to support jobseekers through organizing networking events and offering skills training; SOAR Community Services and NPAAMB are hosting job fairs this week. We encourage jobseekers to connect with these and other employment service providers to find out more about opportunities to develop their skills and connect with employers.”  

The workforce planning board also supports the labour force by helping build training programs that are relevant to local employers. Business owners/HR representatives are invited to identify local skills gaps affecting their workforce by completing the region’s EmployerOne survey: www.workforceplanningboard.org/employerone-survey 

The Grand Erie Jobs online job board featured 1,750 new job postings in September, a slight decrease from the month prior. Postings remained up for a shorter period on average, but most jobs continue to take weeks to fill.

August 2024 employment fell in Brantford-Brant while the jobless rate spiked to its highest level since late 2021.

The local jobless rate jumped a full percentage point to 7% last month, according to Statistic Canada’s seasonally adjusted estimates, which are based on a monthly survey of area households.

Brantford’s unemployment rate is now similar to Ontario’s average, which was 7.1% in August, and above Canada’s 6.6% figure. The local rate is similar to that seen in Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (7.1%), lower than St. Catharines-Niagara (7.5%), but higher than Hamilton (6.7%).

It is the first time Brantford-Brant’s jobless rate has touched 7% since November 2021, when it was 7.5%, and there were still some public health restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The size of August’s rate jump is surprising, disappointing and, most of all, sadly it means more people are struggling in our community,” said Danette Dalton, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie. “Unfortunately, the recent trend we’ve seen of fewer people working and fewer employers hiring is continuing.”

Statistics Canada estimated that 2,200 fewer people were employed in the Brantford area last month, but only 700 of those became unemployed. The other 1,500 people are just not in the labour market anymore.

The most noticeable change has been a large drop in the number of men, ages 24 to 54 – the age range that is considered the key workforce – working full time.

The Grand Erie Jobs online job board, operated by the planning board, shows that local job openings are still being advertised, with August’s number of 2,000 new postings being similar to July. However, it’s not known how many of those positions were filled.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read their news release on the August 2024 employment numbers for Canada and Ontario.

July 2024 employment figures confirmed the recent upwards trend in the jobless rate for the Brantford area.

However, the area’s rate remains below that of nearby communities, as well as the provincial and national averages.

The Brantford area unemployment rate climbed 0.3 percentage points in July – to 6% – according to Statistics Canada’s latest  seasonally adjusted figures.

The national jobless rate remained unchanged at 6.4% in July, while Ontario’s shrunk to 6.7%.

In labour markets around Brantford, only Guelph saw a lower unemployment rate last month: 3.9%.

Locally, job losses were concentrated in the manufacturing and educational services sectors, both of which have decreased consistently over the last 6 months. Employment continued to grow in several other sectors, including business, building and other support services, healthcare and social assistance, and accommodation and food services.

“Employers across Grand Erie have slowed down on hiring, especially for part-time roles,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforce Planning Board’s executive director.

“As a result, we are seeing fewer opportunities for youth and older workers to participate in the workforce. Compared to July 2023, there were roughly 4000 fewer youth, and another 4000 fewer people aged 55+, in employment.”

“We need to find ways to engage individuals that are unable to find suitable work, and this involves meeting them where they are at with their skill development needs.”

Through surveying both businesses and workers, the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie aims to identify opportunities to bridge workforce gaps. Local residents are encouraged to complete the Workforce Skills and Training Survey, and employers are encouraged to complete the EmployerOne survey.

About 1,500 employers in Grand Erie were looking to hire in July, unchanged from June, according to Grand Erie Jobs, the planning board’s community online job board. However, actual postings decreased by 8% month over month.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read their news release on the July 2024 employment numbers for Canada and Ontario.