Brantford-Brant’s workforce grew in May as a result of more people looking for and finding employment last month.

The local jobless rate climbed to 6.7 per cent in May, up from April’s 6.5 per cent, according to seasonally adjusted estimates from Statistics Canada. The participation and employment rates rose even more significantly.

Statistics Canada estimated that an additional 1,700 people entered the Brantford area’s labour market in May, and 1,400 found employment.

Meanwhile, across Canada, the unemployment rate rose 0.1 per centage point to 7%, marking the highest rate since September 2016 (excluding the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021). Ontario’s unemployment, too, rate climbed slightly to 7.9%.

Month-over-month, local employment grew most significantly in the manufacturing and healthcare sectors. Meanwhile, transportation and warehousing saw the largest decrease since April, but employment in this industry remains high compared to May 2024.

“The uncertainty continues,” said Danette Dalton, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie. “We encourage local employers that are considering staffing changes to connect with the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie (or the Employment Ontario network) to ensure that affected employees are supported every step of the way.”

Dalton also noted that the Employment Ontario network is a great resource for employers looking to train/upskill their workforce as business needs evolve.

The planning board’s online job board, Grand Erie Jobs, saw a 15% decrease in new job postings in May, after months of consistent increases. However, active postings also decreased, indicating that many employers found suitable hires.

“We are hearing that some employers have paused hiring or are considering downsizing amidst shifts in the economic landscape, but many others – especially in the public sector and in service-providing businesses – continue to hire,” Dalton said.

Grand Erie Jobs recorded over 1,100 employers hiring from across the Grand Erie region in May. The Top-5 postings were for retail salespersons, home support workers, material handlers, food counter attendants and registered nurses.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read their news release on the April 2025 employment numbers for Canada and Ontario.

April 2025 job numbers showed that Brantford-Brant’s employment and unemployment rates both increased, as hundreds of more people entered the labour market.

Statistics Canada estimates that about 900 more people joined the local labour force last month, with 500 finding employment.

As a result, April’s local jobless rate climbed to 6.5 per cent, up from March’s 6.1 per cent, while the employment rate rose slightly to 60.6 per cent, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the government agency.

Canada’s labour market saw very modest employment growth (7,400 more jobs), but the jobless rate climbed by 0.2 percentage points to 6.9 per cent. Ontario shed 35,000 jobs – almost all in manufacturing –  and the provincial unemployment rate increased to 7.8 per cent.

Manufacturing sector stable so far

Unlike Ontario as a whole, Brantford-Brant did not see much change in employment in its key manufacturing sector, which employs about 14,000 people.

“So far, we’ve been fortunate and have not seen much impact on local employment levels by the U.S. tariffs, even when it comes to manufacturing jobs,” said Danette Dalton, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie.

“All eyes continue to be on the tariff war and we continue to monitor the situation closely. We are all hoping that impacts will be minimal and short lived, but right now it’s a wait and see situation.”

Dalton said the increased number of people working in April brought total employment up to where it was in December-January, while the number of unemployed residents was on par with what it was last October – before tariffs in both cases.

The planning board says postings displayed on its Grand Erie Jobs online job board has been increasing for several months, even with the tariff uncertainty.

New job posts for the Grand Erie region were up 16 per cent in April, reaching 2,250, as almost 1,200 businesses posted openings online. The Top-5 postings were for retail salesperson, home support worker, food counter attendants, cooks and registered nurses.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read their news release on the April 2025 employment numbers for Canada and Ontario.