brantford jobs Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie

Numerous companies hiring in Grand Erie

As labour shortages continue across the board, many local employers are making efforts to onboard employees into open positions.

Ferrero and Mott Manufacturing in Brantford are both actively recruiting for various openings.

Ferrero, the global confectionery producer which makes iconic brands such as Nutella, Ferrero Rocher and Kinder, and is one of Brantford largest employers, is looking to attract people to their Brantford operations in positions ranging from electrician and industrial millwright to production supervisor and microbiology lab technician.

Mott Manufacturing, which produces laboratory equipment at their 225, 000 square foot facility in Brantford, is seeking to fill openings that include assemblers, machine operators and MIG/TIG Welder.

Several employers have held job fairs in recent weeks including Stubbe’s Precast in Brant County who boasted offers on the spot for general labourers at their onsite job fair September 11th and the Brant Community Healthcare System held a nursing career fair September 15th.

Apotex Pharmachem in Brantford, who are looking to hire chemical operators and chemists, are holding a job fair in partnership with St. Leonard’s Community Services on September 29th. Those interested in applying for positions with Apotex can register through this link www.calendly.com/apotex-job-fair or learn more by contacting employerservices@st-leonards.com.

Other employers with the top number of job opportunities shown on Grand Erie Jobs include the well-known regional steel manufacturer Stelco Canada, who are hiring production operators among other positions for their Nanticoke and Hamilton locations. The Norfolk General Hospital is experiencing a dire shortage of medical staff and is hiring for over 40 full-time and part-time positions (RPN, RN and lab positions).

Both the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board and Grand Erie District School Board have been advertising open positions. Norfolk County has shown a recruitment surge the past month with 26 full-time and part-time positions posted and other top employers hiring include BGI Retail, Swiss Chalet, Lowe’s, VON and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

Fewer people active in May job market

May 2021 employment numbers show Brantford’s jobless rate fell, but it was more due to residents leaving the labour force than people starting jobs.

The city’s unemployment rate fell for the fourth straight month in May, landing at 6.1%, down from 6.4% in April, according to Statistics Canada seasonally adjusted estimates.

Canada shed 68,000 jobs last month with the monthly unemployment rate virtually unchanged at 8.2%. Ontario’s monthly jobless rate climbed modestly to 9.3% as employment fell by 32,000.

Brantford’s unemployment rate is lower than the surrounding communities of Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge, St. Catharines-Niagara and London. But Brantford was the only job market in the area that saw the size of its labour force shrink in May.

The city’s labour force shrunk by about 1,100 in May. The majority were employed residents leaving the workforce and not searching for new work. Others were unemployed people who gave up looking for work, according to the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie.

The largest drop in the labour force has been among young male workers, ages 15 to 24, with about 800 fewer working or looking for work.

“The pandemic has caused a lot of ups and downs in people’s lives. It’s understandable if some people have felt disheartened and discouraged, and have dropped out of the labour force,” said executive director Danette Dalton.

“Hopefully, these discouraged workers will return once things stabilize more. We are fortunate in our community to have a lot of employment support services and training opportunities.”

Dalton said the Workforce Planning Board continues to see a healthy number of jobs listed on its Grand Erie Jobs board. There were 1,300 new jobs posted last month for Brantford and Brant County, and another 600 more positions were for jobs in Norfolk, Haldimand and Six Nations.

May 2021 data from Grand Erie Jobs on most frequently posted job openings has been consistent for months, with material handler the No. 1 posting. Others in the top-5 were retail salespersons, home support workers and related occupations, customer service representatives, and general farm labourers.

In Ontario, Statistics Canada is reporting the student job market is particularly challenging. The unemployment rate for students, ages 15 to 24, was estimated at almost 28% in May. This, however, is better than the 41% from May 2020 during the first lockdown.

Visit Statistics Canada to read its News Release about May 2021’s job market in Canada and Ontario.