job numbers Archives - Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie

Brantford area job market stands out

by WPBGE | Mar 13, 2024 | Press Release, Workforce Planning Board Of Grand Erie News

February 2024 employment numbers show the Brantford area labour market continues to be a bit of an anomaly compared to some of its neighbours, as well as Ontario and Canada.

To begin with, the Brantford-Brant jobless rate was unchanged in February, at 4.9%, while it increased in Hamilton, St. Catharines-Niagara, London, Ontario and Canada, according to Statistics Canada’s seasonally adjusted figures released Friday.

Canada’s jobless rate inched up to 5.8%, despite 41,000 job gains, while Ontario’s climbed to 6.5%.

Within a one-hour commute, only Guelph had a lower February unemployment rate than Brantford. And only Brantford has seen a jobless rate below 5% for 6 months straight.

“It’s tricky comparing the labour markets of communities, since each have some unique characteristics, types of employers and workers,” said Danette Dalton, the Planning Board’s executive director. “Still, it’s a strength that Brantford has been able to buck some trends for months.”

A second anomaly in Brantford’s labour market over the last six months has been the relationship between population growth and employment growth, Dalton said.

The main storyline regarding the labour force for months nationally and provincially has been that population growth has outpaced employment growth. Since August, Canada’s working age population (those who are 15+ in age) has swelled by 527,000, while employment has grown by 183,000.

Ontario’s working age population has grown by 236,000 since August, but employment is only up 4,400, according to Statistics Canada’s February 2024 employment numbers.

Among neighbouring labour markets, only Brantford and Guelph have had employment gains above their population growth. Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo job gains match population growth, but Hamilton, London and St. Catharines-Niagara have lagged behind.

“It’s a positive that Brantford’s employment gains have surged. Hopefully, that trend continues, and job seekers and employers gain greater confidence in the local economy,” Dalton said.

About 1,400 employers in Grand Erie were looking to hire in February, up 17% from January, according to Grand Erie Jobs, the planning board’s community online job board. However, actual postings were down slightly to 1,900.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read their news release on the February 2024 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.

Local unemployment rate sees big decline

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

February 2023 employment numbers show that Brantford’s jobless rate fell for the firsst time in six months.

The Brantford-Brant unemployment rate last month was 5.8%, a one percentage drop from January’s 6.8%, according to Statistics Canada’s monthly labour force survey of area residents.

Job gains slowed in Ontario and for Canada as a whole in February. Canada’s jobless rate was unchanged at 5%, while Ontario nudged down to 5.1%.

Brantford’s jobless rate decreased largely due to fewer people being unemployed. Some of those people found jobs, while a greater share appears to have left the labour market.

“You don’t want to see people leave the labour market, especially at a time when some employers have shortages, but our overall level of employment remains impressive,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforce Planning Board’s executive director.

“Brantford has the second highest employment rate among nearby communities, only behind Guelph.”

Dalton said looking at the employment rate – the percentage of residents 15 years and older who are working – can give a fuller picture of the health of any community’s labour market.

For example, St. Catharines-Niagara’s jobless rate in February was 4.3% but its employment rate was 58.4%. By comparison, Brantford’s jobless rate looks worse at 5.8%, but the percentage of people employed is far better at 65.9%, she said.

Dalton added that Brantford’s February 2023 employment rate looks even more impressive when it comes to people in the core working ages of 24 to 54. Brantford’s employment rate for this age group is 89.3%, which is higher than nearby communities – and the second highest in Ontario.

“That’s a new high for this area according to Statistics Canada figures dating back to 2006,” she said.

There were about 2,500 new job postings in February across the region on the Grand Erie Jobs online job board. The largest number of postings continues to be in health care and social assistance, while postings in manufacturing and construction increased. The number of retail positions continues to slide, which is not unusual to see in the post-Christmas season.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read its news release on February employment in Canada and Ontario.

Jobless rate drops without job gains

by WPBGE | Feb 8, 2022 | Press Release, Workforce Planning Board Of Grand Erie News

January 2022 employment numbers for Brantford showed the unemployment plunged, but it was due to people leaving the labour force, not job gains.

The local unemployment rate for January was 6.5%, down from 7.6% in December, based on a survey conducted by Statistics Canada during the week of Jan. 9 to 15, soon after Ontario started a lockdown designed to lessen the impact of the Omicron virus.

Canada’s unemployment rate edged up to 6.5% in January, after employment fell by 200,000, attributed to lockdowns in several provinces that especially impacted women and youth working part time in service-related jobs. Ontario was the hardest hit province, losing 146,000 positions, causing the unemployment rate to jump to 7.3%.

“At first glance, it appears that the Brantford area bucked the trend and employment held steady despite the lockdown,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforce Planning Board’s executive director. “However, other job numbers suggest more people have left the labour market, which may be concerning.”

Statistics Canada also collects data on the number of people “not in the labour force.” This includes people who are neither employed nor actively looking for work, such as retirees, students and caregivers.

January 2022 employment numbers showed an estimated 41,500 area residents aged 15 and over not in the labour force, the highest level in 20 months since May 2020, during the pandemic’s first wave. The largest increase in this category is among women in the 65+ age group, some of whom may have worked part time previously.

“Women and students who might typically work part time in service jobs in food and retail may have become especially discouraged by all the disruptions, the ups and downs, caused by the pandemic,” Dalton said. “Some of those workers may return to the labour market once things stabilize.”

Others may have chosen to go back to school to retrain for different careers, looking for more stability in their work lives and better pay, she added.

During January, there were about 3,000 job postings on Grand Erie Jobs, the region’s largest job board, which is operated by the Workforce Planning Board. The number had dipped in December after surpassing 3,200 a month last fall.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read its news release on January 2022 employment in Canada and Ontario.