grand erie jobs Archives - Page 2 of 12 - Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie

2023 closes strong for local job numbers

by WPBGE | Jan 9, 2024 | Press Release, Workforce Planning Board Of Grand Erie News

December 2023 employment numbers saw Brantford area close out the year strong, maintaining its position as having one of the lowest jobless rates in Ontario.

Brantford-Brant’s unemployment rate last month was 4.3%, up from November’s 4.2%, according to Statistics Canada, which conducts a monthly survey of residents conducted in the first week of December.

The survey estimated that employment grew by several hundred jobs last month, pushing up the employment rate to a six-month high.

There is limited Statistics Canada data for Norfolk, but the unemployment rate has hovered below 5% over the last six months.

Canada’s unemployment rate was unchanged in December at 5.8%, while Ontario’s rate increased to 6.3% due to an estimated 48,000 fewer people working.

The Brantford-Brant jobless rate was tied for third lowest in the province, only behind Belleville and Peterborough and matching Thunder Bay.

Over the course of 2023, the area unemployment rate has ranged from a high of 6.8% in January to a low of 3.9% in June. For the last few months, the rate has been just above 4%.

There were about 1,600 new positions and 3,400 total active jobs posted last month on Grand Erie Jobs, the online job board operated by the Workforce Planning Board. There were about 1,250 employers looking for workers.

The number of jobs advertised online by Grand Erie employers has been declining in recent months, a yearly seasonal trend that has been seen across Ontario on job boards operated by two dozen workforce planning boards.

Retail salesperson was the top advertised job last month, locally and across Ontario. Health care and food industry jobs accounted for the rest of the Top 5 postings in Grand Erie, similar to what was seen elsewhere in the Hamilton-Niagara region.

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

November job figures among Ontario’s best

by WPBGE | Dec 1, 2023 | Press Release, Workforce Planning Board Of Grand Erie News

November 2023 employment figures showed that unemployment inched up in Brantford-Brant, despite the addition of several hundred jobs.

Last month’s local jobless rate climbed to 4.2%, up from 4.1% the previous month, even though employment grew by an estimated 500 people, according to the latest labour force survey from Statistics Canada. That increase in jobs caused the local employment rate to improve slightly to 63.3%.

Canada continues to add jobs but that hasn’t kept up with the country’s population growth. November saw employment increase by 25,000 jobs across Canada, but the unemployment rate still increased by 0.1% percentage points to 5.8% due to 78,000 working age people joining the labour pool. Ontario’s unemployment rate fell by 0.1% to 6.1%.

The Brantford area continues to boast the lowest jobless rate compared to neighbouring communities, and is the second lowest in the province, second only to Peterborough’s impressive 2.3%

Yet, while local employment numbers have been trending upwards over the last few months, there’s still room for improvement, said Danette Dalton, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board.

“Compared to this time last year, some of our local job numbers look better, but others don’t, frankly,” Dalton said. “Our unemployment rate in November 2022 was worse at 5.9%, but more people were participating in the labour force and were employed. Looking just at the jobless rate doesn’t tell the whole story.”

Dalton said that the employment rate a year ago was almost 3% higher than last month, and there were fewer people described as Not in the Labour Force: neither employed nor unemployed.

“But 2022 saw incredible, hard-to-beat job growth in our area, to put it in perspective. The 2023 year hasn’t seen as many gains in employment, but the numbers have been improving recently and we hope that continues into next year,” she said.

Retail salesperson was the No. 1 job advertised in November on Grand Erie Jobs, the job board operated by the Workforce Planning Board. Close to 200 of the 1,800 jobs were in retail, while another 100 were for shelf stockers and order fillers. Other top jobs included home support workers and material handlers.

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

October sees better employment numbers

by WPBGE | Nov 7, 2023 | Workforce Planning Board Of Grand Erie News

October 2023 employment numbers saw the Brantford area’s jobless rate fall, reversing some recent job losses.

The Brantford-Brant unemployment rate dropped to 4.1%, down from September’s 4.7%, according to seasonally adjusted estimates from Statistics Canada’s monthly labour force survey.

By comparison, both the national and provincial unemployment rates grew. Canada’s increased to 5.7% despite employment growing by a modest 18,000, while Ontario saw its rate climb to 6.2%. Canada’s job growth has been unable to keep up with population growth.

Brantford gained an estimated 900 jobs in October, bouncing back from weaker numbers seen for the previous two months.

The local job market also maintained its bragging rights of having the lowest unemployment rate compared to nearby communities. Hamilton was the next lowest at 5.2%.

Brantford and Hamilton job numbers moved in the same direction last month. Both areas grew their labour forces, increased employment – particularly in service industries such as transportation, warehousing and education – and saw fewer people out of work.

“There’s a lot of similarity right now between the labour markets in Brantford and Hamilton,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforc Planning Board’s executive director. “There are thousands of people who commute daily between the communities in each direction.”

There were about 1,900 job postings in October on Grand Erie Jobs, the community online job board operated by the Workforce Planning Board. That was down 19% from September and 3% fewer companies posted positions.

“There has been a decline in the number of online job postings over the last several months, but that isn’t unusual,” Dalton said. “There’s a seasonal nature to the labour market and hiring can slow in the Fall months and then pick up in January. The same was true last year.”

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

Job numbers stayed steady in September

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

September 2023 employment numbers showed that the Brantford area job market held steady last month and even recovered some recent lost ground.

Brantford-Brant’s jobless rate last month was 4.7%, a small drop from August’s 4.8%, according to Statistics Canada’s seasonally adjusted numbers. Norfolk’s job numbers showed the jobless rate hovering around 4.5% over the last few months.

Canadian employment grew by 64,000 in September, though the national jobless rate remained unchanged at 5.5%. Ontario added some jobs but the unemployment rate still nudged up to 6%.

September 2023 employment statistics showed that Brantford area has the lowest unemployment rate compared to the nearby communities of Hamilton, St. Catharines-Niagara, London, Guelph and Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo.

After shrinking in recent months, the overall size of the labour pool increased in Brantford in September.

“Hopefully the number of people who are active in the labour force, working or looking for work, continues to improve, reversing the recent negative trend,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforce Planning Board’s executive director. “It’s good to remind people that there are many opportunities out there.”

A Fall Job Fair with about 35 businesses who are hiring is taking place Oct. 11 at Brantford’s Best Western Hotel and Conference Centre. The job fair is organized by three local employment centres and the Workforce Planning Board.

Job seekers who go to the job fair are being encouraged to dress to impress employers and to bring their resumes, as some employers will be doing on-the-spot interviews.

September saw more than 2,300 new job postings appear on Grand Erie Jobs, the community’s job board operated by the Workforce Planning Board.

The average wage listed in job posts was about $24 an hour in September, which was similar to recent months but $1.80 more than September 2022.

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

Workers continue to leave labour force

by WPBGE | Sep 13, 2023 | Press Release, Workforce Planning Board Of Grand Erie News

August 2023 employment numbers for Brantford Brant showed the jobless rate continues to increase, while the available labour pool keeps shrinking.

The Brantford-Brant unemployment rate climbed to 4.8% last month, up from July’s 4.2%, according to Statistics Canada’s seasonally adjusted figures, which are based on its monthly survey of local households.

Canada’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.5% in August, despite employment climbing by 40,000 across the country. The employment gains were outpaced by an increase of 103,000 working-age adults, fuelled by immigration. Ontario’s jobless rate climbed to 5.9%, when employment remained unchanged at the same time as the number of potential workers swelled by 45,000.

The Brantford area hasn’t seen an influx of people into the labour market, like in Ontario and nationally. Quite the opposite, in fact. Brantford’s labour force has been shrinking in size.

Overall employment has declined during 2023, but so has the number of unemployed residents, indicating that people have left the labour market, said Workforce Planning Board Executive Director Danette Dalton.

Since December 2022, the labour force has shrunk by 5,000 people, while the number of people not in the labour force – those considered neither employed nor looking for work – increased by 6,200, according to Statistics Canada’s estimates. The largest drop has been among men.

“It is puzzling to see such a dramatic change, especially when there’s been a lot of talk this year of labour shortages and jobs going unfilled,” Dalton said. “The number of working age men not in the labour force has been particularly noticeable and concerning.”

Dalton said that while there have been fewer job postings lately and there are other signs that hiring has slowed down in the local economy, there is still work out there, spread right across the Grand Erie region.

There were about 2,500 new job postings in August on Grand Erie Jobs, the online job board operated by the Workforce Planning Board. That was up slightly from July.

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