part-time work Archives - Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie

April 2024 employment numbers for Brantford-Brant once again saw little change compared to recent months.

After sitting at 4.9% for three straight months, April’s local unemployment rate was 5%, according to seasonally adjusted figures from Statistics Canada.

Even though the Canadian economy added 90,000 jobs in April – far more than forecasted – the unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.1%. Ontario added 25,000 of those jobs, but the provincial jobless rate still nudged up 0.1 percentage points to 6.8%.

In labour markets nearest to Brantford, only Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo saw their unemployment rate fall last month. Brantford maintained its second-place spot after Guelph, whose is the lowest at 4.4%.

“The Brantford area labour market continues to be healthy and stable, and the status quo is a good position to be in,” said Danette Dalton, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie. “But alongside that story, there are other interesting trends that have become more noticeable.”

One of those trends relates to shifts in work type.

There has been little change in total local employment in the last 12 months, but the number of residents working full time has increased by about 3,300, while part-time work has fallen by an equivalent number.

“It’s considered a positive barometer for the economy when full-time jobs increase,” Dalton said. “It points to employers doing well financially and having greater business confidence, and they show it by hiring or moving part-timers to full time.”

Of the jobs posted in April on the Grand Erie Jobs online job board, operated by the planning board, four in five were full-time positions. Almost 90% were permanent positions, either full time or part time.

There were more than 1,900 new postings last month. Combined with the postings carried over from March, the total of postings appearing in April was 3,500. The number of employers posting jobs was up 5% to 1,400.

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

Area jobless rate hits 16-year record low

July 2022 employment numbers saw Brantford-Brant set a new record low jobless rate, further cementing the area as having one of the strongest labour markets in Ontario.

The Brantford area’s unemployment rate declined to 3.4% in July, down from June’s 3.9%, according to seasonally adjusted estimates released by Statistics Canada. In Ontario, only Guelph was lower at 3.2%.

Across Canada, employment was down 31,000, but the national jobless rate remained unchanged at a record low of 4.9%. Ontario recorded most of the employment losses with 27,000, causing the provincial unemployment rate to climb slightly to 5.3%.

Brantford’s 3.4% jobless rate is the lowest since comparable data started being collected in 2006. The number of local unemployed people in July was estimated at 2,700, also the lowest in 16 years.

“It’s fantastic to see so many local residents working and our area setting a new record low unemployment rate,” said Danette Dalton, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie.

“Unfortunately, it also means that local businesses will continue to face challenges hiring staff, as the pool of available labour has shrunk.”

There were an estimated 76,700 people employed in Brantford-Brant in July, up more than 1,000 from June and the highest since November 2019.

The local labour market saw employment gains mainly in service-related jobs, with modest gains in most categories, led by educational services, wholesale and retail trade, and professional services. Manufacturing also saw some gains, while employment in construction continues to hold steady.

July 2022 employment gains were in full-time work, with part-time employment declining slightly.

Grand Erie Jobs, the community’s largest job board, saw about 3,100 new jobs posted in July, a significant drop from the number seen in each of the last three months. More than 72% of postings were for full-time work, with the majority of those considered permanent positions. Casual positions accounted for less than 6% of job postings.

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