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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.

Employment steady but jobless rate jumps

Employment steady but jobless rate jumps

by | Dec 3, 2021 | Press Release, Workforce Planning Board Of Grand Erie News

November 2021 employment held firm in Brantford, but for the second straight month the local jobless rate jumped as more people entered the job market.

The city’s November unemployment rate was estimated at 7.6%, up from 7.2% in October, based on a Statistics Canada survey of residents conducted Nov. 7 to 13.

The spike in the jobless rate was due to an additional 500 people entering the labour force, not because of overall job losses, since Brantford’s employment rate held steady at 61.7% in November.

Across Canada, employment grew by an impressive 154,000, dropping the national monthly jobless rate to 6%. Almost half of the job gains took place in Ontario, which added 68,000 jobs and saw its unemployment rate shrink to 6.4% – the lowest since pre-pandemic February 2020.

Labour force swells

Brantford’s labour force has swelled by 1,300 people since September, while the number of people working has remained unchanged.

“It is considered a good sign when people join or rejoin the labour force,” said Workforce Plannng Board Executive Director Danette Dalton. “But it could take time for these new job seekers to find work that matches their skills and experience.”

November 2021 employment grew locally in several industries, led by retail trade, which has seen job gains of 1,600 since September. These gains have been offset by job losses in other industries, particularly in manufacturing.

Job losses have been more pronounced for young workers ages 15 – 24, but the figures suggest that many left full-time work over the last couple of months to go to school.

Top in-demand jobs

Over the last several months, employment has fallen for males 45 years and older, but has increased for males 25 to 44. Employment for females has been steadier, except for fewer women ages 15 to 24 working, partly due to some returning to school. Enrolment in post-secondary is higher among females.

There were about 3,200 new jobs listed in November on Grand Erie Jobs job board. The No. 1 job posted was material handler, followed by general farm worker. Many farmers start trying to recruit workers in the autumn for work starting next spring.

Other top in-demand jobs include retail salespersons, home support workers, cooks, customer service representatives, nurses and retail managers.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read its news release on November 2021 employment in Canada and Ontario.

Brantford jobless rate edges up, but stays low

Brantford jobless rate edges up, but stays low

by | Oct 8, 2021 | Press Release

September 2021 employment numbers for Brantford saw the jobless rate edge up, but it is still one of the lowest in Ontario.

September’s local unemployment rate was 6.1%, up from 5.7% in August but matching July’s figure, according to seasonally adjusted estimates released by Statistics Canada on Friday.

Norfolk County’s jobless rate for the last three months averaged 7.7%, though figures for September suggest unemployment has climbed due to a drop in part-time work, possibly related to summer jobs.

Across Canada, employment grew by 157,000 jobs in September, dropping the national monthly jobless rate to 6.9%. Ontario accounted for almost half of the job gains and the provincial jobless rate fell for the fourth straight month to 7.3%. All figures are based on a Labour Force Survey conducted by Statistics Canada the week of Sept. 12 – 18.

In Southern Ontario, only Guelph at 6% has a lower jobless rate than Brantford. Hamilton is close at 6.3%, while Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo is next at 7.2%, London 7.3% and St. Catharines-Niagara 8.2%.

“It is good to see Brantford has one of the lowest unemployment rates, but there’s still more work to do to recover from the pandemic and grow the local economy,” said Danette Dalton, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie.

“There are still people struggling to find the right fit in a job and there are still businesses that are struggling to find staff.”

Dalton said many businesses are experiencing a competitive job market, with high demand for service industry occupations in particular. There were more than 2,800 new jobs posted in September on Grand Erie Jobs, the job board operated by the Workforce Planning Board.

Almost 40 area businesses looking to hire are participating in a 3-day virtual job fair, Oct. 19 – 21, organized by St. Leonard’s Community Services. People can contact St. Leonard’s for more information.

In Brantford, the September employment numbers tell a different story depending on age group and sex of workers.

Youth aged 15 to 24 have seen the largest job gains over the last few months, with females benefiting more. By contrast, employment has fallen in the core working age group of 25 to 54, with the majority of the losses affecting men. Employment has grown for men aged 55 and over, but has stayed the same for women.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read its news release on September 2021 employment in Canada and Ontario.

July jobless rate dips to 6.1% in Brantford area

July jobless rate dips to 6.1% in Brantford area

by | Aug 9, 2021 | Press Release

July 2021 employment was little changed locally, but the jobless rate still fell.

The Brantford Brant unemployment rate was 6.1% in July, down from 6.5% in June, according to seasonally adjusted estimates released by Statistics Canada.

Employment grew by 94,000 across Canada, dropping the national jobless rate to 7.5%, down 0.3%. Ontario saw some of that employment growth, causing the provincial jobless rate to fall to 8%.

Brantford recorded the lowest unemployment rate among its neighbouring areas; the next lowest is Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo at 7%. St. Catharines-Niagara was the highest at 10.6%.

Most key measurements of the Brantford area labour market, including the number of people participating in the workforce, stayed the same in July as the month before.

But the July 2021 employment numbers may not fully reflect the labour market due to the timing of the Statistics Canada labour force survey.

Statistics Canada surveyed local residents during the week of July 11 to 17. Meanwhile, Ontario dropped many of the final restrictions on businesses starting July 16. That included allowing indoor dining, fuller retail shopping, and the reopening of gyms, galleries, museums and cinemas.

“We expect that the number of local people working jumped after July 16, but we will have to wait a month to see by how much,” said Danette Dalton, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board. “There’s certainly more people out dining, shopping and doing other activities, which points to businesses bringing staff back to meet the demand.”

The Workforce Planning Board has seen an uptick in recent months in the number of postings on its Grand Erie Jobs job board. About 2,900 jobs were posted in July, slightly above June’s record high. Several service-related jobs are among the most in demand, including retail salespersons, customer service representatives, cooks and cashiers.

Dalton said there are signs that some residents are continuing to take a wait-and-see approach to re-entering the job market.

“We are hearing from more businesses that they are struggling to hire, and the Employment Ontario agencies that help people find jobs are seeing fewer clients than usual. Some job seekers are still hesitant to get back into the job market,” she said.

Visit Statistics Canada’s website to read its news release on July 2021’s job market in Canada and Ontario.

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