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.