Ontario Employment Outlook: July 2020 Report

The employment outlook in Canada continues to improve month by month. Ontario, and Toronto in particular, was hit hard by COVID-19. Many people in the labour force experienced unemployment or reduce hours. Canada has done a good job of fighting the pandemic, and employment continues to grow as more businesses open again.

 

Here is a handy employment outlook summary for Ontario that our employment experts at Nova Staffing compiled using the latest data from the Ontario Government July 2020 Labour market report.

 

 

Employment Outlook

Ontario’s employment outlook has been improving month by month since the pandemic setback. Of the 12.3 million people in Ontario 15 years or older, 7.8 million are in the labour force. 6.9 million (56%) of the people are currently employed as of July 2020. This is up 2.2% from June, a 150,700 job increase.

 

Ontario’s unemployment rate is also dropping each month. It is now at 11.3%, a decrease from 12.2% in June, with 886,600 people unemployed in the province last month. This is slightly above the overall unemployment rate in Canada, which is 10.9% as of July. Overall though, employment in Canada rose by 2.4% last month.

 

Employment by Age

Youth employment (ages 15-24) were hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and have been disproportionally impacted by job losses since February. Unemployment for this age group was at 28.4% last month. Job growth has been steadily increasing, with 58,600 new jobs in July.

 

Adult employment for people aged 25-54 saw an unemployment rate of 8.8% in July, though there were 60,600 new jobs. Senior employment, aged 55 and older, is sitting at 7.8% unemployment but saw 31,400 new jobs in July.

 

Employment by Sector

COVID-19 pandemic impacted most sectors in Canada. Many are recovering nicely and experiencing job growth. Wholesale and retail trades led employment gains in July with 57,300 new jobs, followed by health care and social assistance (28,800), other services except for public administration (23,500), and professional, scientific, and technical services (17,700).

 

Unfortunately, not every industry has experienced growth. Education services continued to see employment loss, with 7,200 fewer jobs in July. However, this might change once schooling resumes in a few weeks. Business, building, and other services saw a 1,700 job loss, while information, culture, and recreation saw 1,500 employment loss.

 

Employment by Education

HR experts have always known that education and employment go hand in hand. In July, University graduates saw employment gains of 25,900 new jobs, while those with some postsecondary education gained 4,300 jobs.

 

Not all education levels saw growth, though. Those with a postsecondary certificate or diploma and a high school education led job loss with 177,200 and 83,100, respectively. Those with less than a high school education recorded job losses of 34,400.

 

Final Thoughts

Ontario continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic slowly. As more businesses reopen, employment growth will continue. Many sectors, such as healthcare, transportation, and tech services, are already looking to hire.

 

If you’re looking for employment or are a business that is looking for staffing solutions, contact us today! Nova Staffing is one of the top employment agencies in Toronto and has a team of HR experts that can help you.

 

6 Reasons to Use Temps as a Staffing Solution

It’s rare for a business to have a constant workload and employment needs. More commonly, companies experience seasonal increases in workload and hiring needs. While hiring permeant employees is always an option, making use of skilled temporary workers is another staffing solution businesses should explore. As a temp staffing agency, we’ve seen how beneficial temporary workers can be to a company. Here are a few reasons you should look into using temp employees.

 

Relief Workload Increase

A lot of industries will see an increase in workload at specific times throughout the year. This season workload increase can put a lot of stress on full-time workers, causing employees to become overworked and disgruntled. It can also cause businesses to spend significant money on overtime costs. Using temporary workers can provide relief, taking on some of the increased workloads.

 

Save Time and Money

Unless you have a job expected to last six months or longer, your company would probably save time and money utilizing temporary workers. Hiring temp workers is often cheaper than permanent employees, which usually require benefits as well as salary. It’s not just cost savings either- using temporary workers can save your business time as well. When you employ a temp employment agency, they are responsible for recruiting, screening, and hiring them, with some even taking on training as well. This allows your company to spend time on actually running the business rather than looking for new workers.

 

Prevents Under and Overstaffing

As workloads fluctuate throughout the year, maintaining the amount of staff you need can be hard. Overworking full-time employees can decrease morale and increase employee turnover rate. Hiring permanent staff during the busy season can also have a negative impact, leading to overstaffing once business slows down again. This can lead to increased labor and termination costs. Temps are a great staffing solution for this issue as your business can easily use them when needed only.

 

More Flexible Workers

A huge benefit of temporary workers is the flexibility you get with them. By working with a quality temp staffing agency, you’ll have access to skill temp workers when you need them and then send them back to the agency. Temp employees also have more availability then full-time workers, making them an ideal staffing solution for less popular tasks and shifts such as overnights or weekends.

 

Access to Expertise

Temp workers used to be viewed as having a lower skill set than full-time employees. These days, temporary employees are highly valued for their skills and aptitudes. Temps can bring specialized skills to your company required for certain projects that current employees may not have. They can add value to your business, even on a short-term basis. If you’re looking for specialized skills, it’s important to find a temp staffing agency that has a pool of quality candidates in your industry.

 

Evaluate Employee Without Commitment

Just because you hire a temp employee doesn’t mean you can’t make them a full-time offer if you find they’re a good fit. Some businesses employ temporary workers to see their abilities without committing. Using temp workers is also an excellent way to get work done while searching for the perfect full-time candidate for the job.

 

If you’re interested in using temporary workers as a staffing solution, contact Nova Staffing! As one of the top temp employment agencies in the GTA, we’re skilled at finding quality candidates to fit your staffing needs.