January 2025 employment figures showed that Brantford recorded the lowest jobless rate in Ontario, though employment actually fell locally last month.

The Brantford-Brant unemployment rate dropped to 5% in January, down from December’s 5.1%, even though an estimated 500 fewer people were employed, according to Statistics Canada’s seasonally adjusted figures, based on a survey of some local households.

Canada added 76,000 jobs in January, the third straight month of employment gains, and the unemployment rate dipped to 6.6%. Over the last three months Canada has added 211,000 jobs. Employment rose in Ontario by 39,000 positions, but the jobless rate climbed 0.1% to 7.6%.

The Brantford area edged out Thunder Bay, at 5.1%, for lowest unemployment rate in Ontario. Brantford beat neighbouring communities by a wider margin, with St. Catharines-Niagara being the closest at 6.1%.

Despite the strong numbers, the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie is taking a cautious tone.

“We’ve heard a less positive story from the Employment Ontario organizations that provide help to jobseekers,” said Danette Dalton, the planning board’s executive director. “They report that many local employers aren’t hiring and that jobseekers are frustrated and discouraged.”

Dalton said the number of residents not in the labour force – neither employed nor unemployed – jumped last September and has remained stubbornly high since then.

“The number of youths 15 to 24 not in the labour force has increased the most, indicating that they have been hit the hardest by the slowdown in hiring,” she said.

Dalton said it is unclear what the threat of American tariffs on Canadian goods has or will have on local hiring, but that the planning board is investigating ways it can support businesses if they are impacted.

The planning board’s Grand Erie Jobs platform saw a sizeable jump in new online job postings in January, with 1,600, up from about 1,000 in December. However, the total number of active jobs postings, which includes some carried over from the month before, was down.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read their news release on the January 2025 employment numbers for Canada and Ontario.

Brantford-Brant’s unemployment rate dropped for the fourth consecutive month in May.

According to Statistics Canada’s monthly labour force survey, the area’s jobless rate shrunk 0.9 points to 4.1% in May, the lowest figure seen since July 2022.

Meanwhile, job gains slowed in Ontario and Canada. The national jobless rate rose to 5.2%, while the provincial rate climbed to 5.5% as a result of 24,000 fewer working.

Locally, employment dipped slightly in May but about 4,000 more people were working compared to May 2022.

The growth is concentrated in the manufacturing sector, but employment in finance and insurance also increased considerably compared to the same month in 2022.

Youth Participation in Decline

“While we remain optimistic given the year-over-year job growth, we do need to focus on supporting more youth with finding meaningful work as the summer approaches,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforce Planning Board’s executive director.

“We’re seeing a growing number of students unable to find stable part-time employment and a number of youths not participating in the labour force because they feel discouraged. We need to create more opportunities to mentor and engage them, to utilize their unique talents and help them build their skillsets.”

Local community agencies came together last month to host Epic Jobs 2023, which showcased exciting trades and career opportunities to 1,600 elementary school students from across the Grand Erie region.

Grand Erie Jobs, the online job board operated by the Workforce Planning Board, saw about 2,500 new postings in May, down slightly from April. The largest number of postings continues to be in healthcare and social assistance and manufacturing, but postings for food service and retail trade jobs also increased this past month.

Brant County Healthcare System had the largest number of new job posts in May, followed by several regional municipalities.

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

April 2023 employment numbers saw Brantford-Brant’s jobless rate reach its lowest level in six months.

The area’s unemployment rate dropped to 5% in April, down from March’s 5.3%, according to seasonally adjusted figures released by Statistics Canada. It’s the lowest jobless figure since last October.

The Brantford unemployment rate matches the national rate of 5% and is just off Ontario’s 4.9%. Employment increased by 33,000 in Ontario in April, the bulk of Canada’s total 41,000 job gains.

Several nearby communities within a 1-hour drive have a lower jobless rate than Brantford-Brant, but only one – Guelph – has a higher employment rate.

“When you compare last month’s numbers to April 2022, you see that the number of people in Brantford’s labour force has grown by about 5,000 people in 12 months,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforce Planning Board’s executive director.

“That’s impressive. Even more impressive is that almost all of those people found jobs.”

Women see more job gains

Women saw a greater share of Brantford-Brant’s employment growth over the last year, adding about 2,300 full-time and 1,000 part-time positions. Employment for men grew by about 600 full-time and 1,100 part-time positions.

Women in the core working ages of 25 to 54 saw the most employment gains, while most of the gains for men were in the 55 to 64 age group. Employment declined for men in the 25 to 54 age group year over year, according too unadjusted figures from Statistics Canada.

There were about 2,700 new postings in April on Grand Erie Jobs, the Workforce Planning Board’s online job board, down about 5% from March. Postings came from about 1,100 different employers.

Tigercat Industries, which has plants in Brantford and Paris, had the largest number of new job posts last month. The other Top-5 employers for postings were all from the public sector, including a school board, hospital and a municipal government.

There is evidence that demand for employees will continue in 2023. Seventy-seven per cent of the 250 Grand Erie businesses who completed the Workforce Planning Board’s EmployerOne survey in January said they anticipate hiring in 2023. That percentage increased to 91% for Brantford based employers.

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