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Brantford area jobless rate at a 6-month low

Brantford area jobless rate at a 6-month low

by | Dec 6, 2024 | Press Release, Workforce Planning Board Of Grand Erie News

November 2024 employment strengthened in the Brantford area, with improvements in numbers across the board., including a 6-month low jobless rate.

Brantford-Brant’s jobless rate was 5.7% last month, down from October’s 6.5%, according to the latest Statistics Canada’s estimates, which are based on a three-month moving average that is seasonally adjusted.

Canada as a whole added 51,000 jobs but the unemployment rate still climbed 0.3% to 6.8% as more people looked for work. Ontario’s jobless rate jumped by almost a full percentage point to 7.6% – the highest it has been since 2014, excluding the 2020 and 2021 pandemic-impacted years.

After several consecutive weak months, the Brantford area saw all key employment indicators improve. Based on its survey of local households, Statistics Canada estimated that 1,100 more people were employed, while the number unemployed dropped by 600. November’s unemployment rate is the lowest it has been since June.

Pleasant surprise

“November’s job numbers are a pleasant surprise. They show that people returning to the job market found work,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforce Planning Board’s executive director.

“But we still have to remember that there are many people in our communities that are struggling and will need help through the holiday season and afterwards. Poverty doesn’t take a holiday, so it is important to support our neighbours and charities that support our neighbours.”

Brantford-Brant’s November unemployment rate was the lowest among nearby communities. Hamilton and Guelph had sizeable increases in their jobless rates, while Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, St. Catharines-Niagara and London were basically unchanged.

Despite November’s positive job numbers for the Brantford area, there continues to be signs that hiring is slowing down, Dalton said.

The number of new positions appearing on the Grand Erie Jobs online job board dropped last month by almost 20%. Grand Erie Jobs also saw a 20% decrease in the number of businesses with posted jobs.

“Similar job boards in other communities are also seeing fewer postings,” Dalton said. “It may be because hiring usually slows down over the winter, but we’ll see. It would be good to start 2025 on a positive note.”

Job boards operated by other workforce planning boards have seen the same thing. There was a 10% drop in the number of companies posting in the Hamilton and London areas.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read their news release on the November 2024 employment numbers for Canada and Ontario.

Quality of Work – New Local Survey

Quality of Work – New Local Survey

by | Jul 14, 2022 | Press Release

The Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie has launched a new survey that is digging into how people perceive quality of work at their current or past workplaces.

Quality of work typically refers to a combination of things like a job’s income and benefits, job security, chance for promotion, opportunities to use skills, workplace culture and more.

For the last few years, our annual employer survey results have highlighted the growing obstacles that businesses face in finding and retaining suitable employees. Turnover triggered by quits, workplace culture and lack of work-life balance has been increasing and this has significant impacts on business operations.

With the added volatility of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to better understand the factors that influence quality of work, and to scope out the opportunities, challenges and barriers to supporting the Grand Erie labour market.

We will be examining the “quality of work” amongst workers within six industries in the Grand Erie area (healthcare and social assistance, retail trade, construction, manufacturing, accommodation and food services and agriculture.) The research will be carried out through a workforce survey that will measure the quality of work along 6 dimensions defined by Statistics Canada.

With this survey, we want to better understand what people value in a job, the workplace and their leaders. It is important to hear from workers, what attracts them to apply for a job and to stay in a job.

Many employers are experiencing labour shortages and they are competing for workers. Having a reputation of providing a good work culture and jobs can make a business stand out. The survey should help businesses, community organizations and local government learn more about what workers value in a workplace, and could prompt changes that strengthen quality of work.

Employers may learn what improvements or best practices they can implement in their workplace to give workers a stronger incentive to stay. And a good quality of work and work-life balance at a workplace can be a big selling point to potential new hires.

Individuals who complete the survey may find themselves better equipped to open up conversations with their managers about how their work quality can be enhanced. Results may also help those looking for work to identify industries that best support their quality of work goals.

Further, data collected through this survey can help community organizations/government develop better, more targeted programs and services to support our workforce’s needs.

The survey, which takes about 15 minutes to complete, is open to employees and job seekers 15 years and older who lives in Brantford, Six Nations, New Credit and Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk counties and will be running until September of this year. Those who complete the survey will have a chance to win a prize in a weekly draw.

The research project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Centre, a forward-looking organization that prototypes, tests and measures new and innovative approaches to skills development across Canada. To learn more about Future Skills Centre, visit: fsc-ccf.ca

Thank you to our survey sponsors:

Summer student jobs and youth resources

Summer student jobs and youth resources

by | Jun 10, 2022 | Workforce Planning Board Of Grand Erie News

Companies around the Grand Erie region are currently hiring for summer student positions. These companies include Piller’s Fine Foods, Circle Square Ranch, Maple Leaf Foods, Linde Canada and Grand River Employment and Training.

Our Grand Erie Job Board allows youth to search for summer jobs in Brantford, Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk, Six Nations and New Credit. Currently dozens and dozens of summer student job openings are posted in the area.

Many non-profit community agencies such as Community Addictions and Mental Health Services of Haldimand and Norfolk, Habitat for Humanity, Norfolk Association for Community Living, Alzheimer Society and Lions McInnes House are currently advertising for summer students under a special government program called Canada Summer Jobs. All Canada Summer Jobs are searchable here: https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/youth

The COVID-19 Pandemic has added unique challenges for youth and their ability to find employment during the past few years. Help is available to youth who lack information about employment programs and job searching tools – and with their summer job hunt.

Educational institutions and area organization such as St. Leonard’s Community Services, Brantford-Brant Business Resource Centre (BRC), CareerLink and other regional employment service providers offer various programs and services across our region to not only help young people find a summer job; but for graduating students or for youth not in school – their first full time job and to also help those interested in learning how they can start their own business.

For example, aspiring entrepreneurs ages 15 to 29 years old can apply for the Summer Company Student Grant Program offered through Brantford-Brant Business Resource Centre to students living in the City of Brantford, County of Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk Counties, and Six Nations of the Grand River.

The program lets students take the plunge into business ownership and teaches them how to problem solve, communicate effectively, and the importance of a strong work ethic. Students will also learn all aspects of running a business including how to manage their business finances, marketing and sales, customer service, building and controlling inventory and the behind the scenes work that is required to operate a successful business.

Successful applicants receive up to $1,500 to assist with start-up costs and an additional $1,500 on completion of the program.

Other Local Youth Employment Resources:

Grand Erie District School Board: Home :: Grand Erie District School Board

CareerLink: About :: Career Link

St. Leonard’s Community Services Wrap Program: Youth Employment Skills Strategy – Work Readiness and Advancement Program (WRAP) | St. Leonard’s (st-leonards.com)

Brant Skills Centre: Brant Skills Centre

G.R.E.A.T: The Student Office – GREAT (greatsn.com)

Fanshawe Community Career and Employment Services: Community Career and Employment Services (Simcoe) | Fanshawe College

City School by Mohawk: City School by Mohawk | Mohawk College

Brantford Business Resource Centre: Business Resource Centre – City of Brantford – Economic Development (advantagebrantford.ca)

First Work: First Work – Ontario’s Youth Employment Network

First Work Aspire Initiative: Home – Youth Aspire

Wilfrid Laurier University LaunchPad: LaunchPad | Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation | Students – Wilfrid Laurier University (wlu.ca)

Wilfrid Laurier University: Career and Employment Support | Students – Wilfrid Laurier University (wlu.ca)

Conestoga College: https://studentsuccess.conestogac.on.ca/myCareer

Six Nations Polytechnic: Careers | Six Nations Polytechnic (snpolytechnic.com)CareerLink: Job Seeker :: Career Link

Contact North: Welcome to contactnorth.ca | Contact North | contactnorth.ca

Canadian Mental Health Association Brant Haldimand Norfolk: CMHA Brant Haldimand Norfolk – Mental Health for All  

Grand Erie Jobs: https://workforceplanningboard.org/find-jobs/

Local unemployment falls to 2-year low

Local unemployment falls to 2-year low

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

March 2022 employment picked up, with the unemployment rate falling to a two-year low as more people entered the job market and found work.

Brantford-Brant’s jobless rate was 5.1% last month, down from 5.5% in February, according to seasonally adjusted March 2022 employment numbers released by Statistics Canada. March’s 5.1% is the lowest since January 2020, prior to the pandemic.

About 73,000 more people were working across Canada in March, dropping the national jobless rate to 5.3% – the lowest on record in almost five decades. Ontario saw almost half of the job gains and its rate also dipped to 5.3%.

Brantford saw several key labour force numbers improve in March, including employment rate, size of the labour force and the rate of participation. However, some of these numbers are still lower than they were a year ago.

“We’ve seen a steady improvement over the last few months in many areas, but we still have a ways to go,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforce Planning Board’s executive director.

“This time last year the employment rate was better and more people were active in the labour market. There are still people who haven’t yet re-entered the workforce and there is a lot of demand from employers.”

There was a record 4,000 jobs posted on the planning board’s Grand Erie Jobs community job board in March, about 800 more than the previous high seen last November.

About 2,000 area businesses had postings, with the most advertised jobs being material handler, retail salesperson, transit drivers, customer service representatives, and homecare and education support workers.

There are several short-term job training programs starting soon in the Brantford area, including a free, two-week introduction to welding course offered by the planning board at local colleges. Women, in particular, are being encouraged to apply to Skills2Advance Welding.

“There many available jobs, training programs and community supports out there for anyone looking for work or who want to retrain for new careers,” Dalton said.

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

Brantford area jobless rate falls to 5.5%

Brantford area jobless rate falls to 5.5%

by | Mar 11, 2022 | Press Release, Workforce Planning Board Of Grand Erie News

February 2022 employment numbers saw Brantford matching the 5.5% jobless rate recorded in Canada and Ontario.

About 800 more people were employed in the Brantford area last month, which led to the jobless rate falling a full percentage point from January’s 6.5% figure, according to estimates released by Statistics Canada on Friday.

The local unemployment rate has declined for several straight months, but February was the first time recently that it fell due to employment gains. Earlier declines were due to people leaving the labour force.

“It is great to see so many more getting back to work,” said Danette Dalton, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board. “There are many opportunities out there for job seekers, and many businesses are frustrated they can’t find people.”

A whopping 337,000 jobs were added across Canada, with Ontario accounting for 194,000 of those gains. About 114,000 jobs were gained across the country in accommodations and food services and a further 73,000 gains in culture, information and recreation – industries particularly hard hit by the pandemic.

It was good news almost across the board for Canada in general. There were job gains for both sexes, all age groups, Indigenous peoples, visible minorities and in most industries.

Brantford’s data for February 2022 employment suggest there were job gains in the service sector overall, especially in public administration, but fewer people were working in wholesale/retail trade. Employment was also down in manufacturing. Full-time employment was up overall and part-time work down slightly for both sexes, but men in the core working age group of 25-54 saw more gains.

In February, there were close to 3,000 job postings on Grand Erie Jobs, the community’s largest job board run by the Workforce Planning Board.

“There are many options for people entering the job market and there are many employers who want them,” Dalton said.

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

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