Niagara employment increases by 3,100
NWPB’s Eye on Employment outlines the latest data from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey. These data report that in October of 2021, Niagara saw 3,100 more people in employment compared to September 2021. This increase can be attributed to gains in part-time employment (+3,800).
Notably, we saw Niagara’s unemployment rate decrease from 8.2% in September to 7.0% in October. In addition, we saw gains in the employment rate, and stability in the participation rate. The size of the labour force also increased to 232,500 people in October, which is 5.4% larger than in October 2019.
We saw the largest employment gains in the following industries:
- Professional, scientific, and technical services
- Health care and social assistance
- Transportation and warehousing
For an in-depth overview of these data, please see Niagara Workforce Planning Board’s full report, available here.
| Labour force characteristics | September 2020 | October 2020 | 2020 | August 2021 | September 2021 | October 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 215,900 | 218,800 | 211,200 | 227,900 | 232,100 | 232,500 |
| Employment | 196,800 | 202,900 | 190,600 | 204,300 | 213,200 | 216,300 |
| Full-time employment | 154,300 | 153,000 | 147,200 | 162,200 | 171,500 | 170,800 |
| Part-time employment | 42,500 | 50,000 | 43,400 | 42,100 | 41,700 | 45,500 |
| Unemployment | 19,100 | 15,900 | 20,600 | 23,600 | 19,000 | 16,300 |
| Unemployment rate | 8.8% | 7.3% | 9.8% | 10.4% | 8.2% | 7.0% |
| Participation rate | 58.1% | 58.8% | 56.9% | 61.1% | 62.2% | 62.2% |
| Employment rate | 52.9% | 54.5% | 51.3% | 54.8% | 57.1% | 57.9% |
National labour market steady after last month’s return to pre-pandemic levels
After returning to its pre-pandemic level in September, employment held steady (+31,000; +0.2%) in October. The unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage points to 6.7%.
Employment increases in a number of industries, including retail trade (+72,000), were offset by declines elsewhere, including in accommodation and food services (-27,000). Gains among private-sector employees (+70,000) were partially offset by declines in self-employment (-38,000).
Among people of core working age (25 to 54 years), employment rose by 53,000 (+0.4%), all in full-time work.
Full-time employment among core-aged men returned to its pre-pandemic level, while full-time work for core-aged women was 98,000 (+1.0%) higher than in February 2020.
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Government of Ontario: province leads the nation in job creation
Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, issued the following statement following today’s monthly employment release by Statistics Canada:
“Employment in Ontario increased by 37,000 in October, marking another significant milestone of employment as it continues to rise above pre-pandemic levels. Ontario now has 45,600 more jobs than it did before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, we know there is still much more work to do, and maintaining a healthy workforce is critical to our continued economic growth. That’s why in the 2021 Ontario Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review: Build Ontario released yesterday, our government is committed to working for workers.”
The million job mirage and why the hard part actually begins now: Canadian Chamber of Commerce on Labour Force Survey release
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Senior Director of Workforce Strategies and Inclusive Growth, Leah Nord, issued the following statement today on the state of Canada’s labour market.
“As Canada continues to recover jobs through these summer and fall months, many have been quick to claim victory after recouping the last million jobs lost as a result of the pandemic. While it’s a positive development, it’s not the milestone we should be focused on. Although we have returned to pre-pandemic levels, the labour market has fundamentally shifted since then. We need to be looking forward, not backward.
The fact is the hard part begins now. Filling almost 900,000 job vacancies is an order of magnitude more difficult to achieve than a rebound in employment following a significant economic downturn. Talent is an issue in every sector, at every level of the value chain, in every part of the country, and there’s no silver-bullet-fix at hand.
We won’t reach sustainable economic growth without building inclusive and sustainable talent pipelines. Canada needs a serious plan to address its structural workforce challenges, which were well entrenched before COVID, before we can find reason to celebrate.”
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Resource-rich Canada grapples with key commodity shortage: workers
Reuters
Canada’s economic recovery from the pandemic is being hampered by labor shortages across industries ranging from energy to aviation to agriculture, forcing companies to consider multiple salary hikes and offer other perks.
Statistics Canada data on Friday showed the national unemployment rate hit a 20-month low in October. The shortage of skilled and unskilled workers threatens to hurt economic growth and fuel inflation, which is already at an 18-year high.
Canada added 31,000 jobs in October, pushing jobless rate down to 6.7%
CBC News
Canada’s economy added 31,000 jobs last month, well down from September’s pace of gains and below what economists were expecting but enough to push the jobless rate down by two ticks to 6.7 per cent.
Statistics Canada reported Friday that the jobs number only expanded by 0.2 per cent in October.
The retail sector added 72,000 jobs, while the accommodation and food services sector continues to lose them, shedding another 27,000 jobs during the month. Those sectors have been hardest hit by the pandemic because of their reliance on in-person contact, and they continue to be volatile.
While overall, Canada’s economy has more jobs than it did before the pandemic started in 2020, the numbers show that the employment recovery is uneven and running out of steam.
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