Ontario Employment Outlook: October 2021

Ontario’s employment continued to improve in October 2021. This was the fifth consecutive month that the province saw employment increase. 

 

Here is a look at how employment in Ontario was impacted in October 2021, compiled by our employment experts at Nova Staffing. All data is from the Ontario Government October 2021 Labour Market report. 

 

 

Employment Summary

In October, Ontario had 7.5 million employed individuals, up 37,000 jobs from September, a 0.5% increase. Employment gains were likely due to COVID-19 restrictions further lifting, including capacity limits rising. 

 

The province’s unemployment rate also decreased in October. There were 567,900 (7%) unemployed individuals, a 4% decrease from September. This month, Ontario was above its pre-COVID-19 February levels by 0.6%. 

 

Employment by Age

Youth employment (15-24) continued to improve in October. Youth employment increased by 18,100 jobs, a 1.8% increase from the previous month. Unemployment for this demographic also dropped to 9.9% in October, down from 12.5% in September. October also marked the lowest youth unemployment rate recorded in Ontario since June 1990. 

 

Adult employment (25-54) also increased in October by 18,100 jobs, a 0.4% increase from September. Unemployed for adults decreased to 6.3%. Senior employment (55+) remained unchanged in October compared to September. Unemployment for seniors did increase to 7.2% from 6.6%.

 

Employment by Sector

Certain industries have seen employment gains at a slower rate than others. Those that saw the greatest employment gains were led by Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (+87.4K), Information, Culture, and Recreation (+39.8K), Public Administration (+22.2K), and Wholesale and Retail Trade (+21.3%). 

 

Sectors that saw employment loss were led by Accommodation and Food Services (-40.1K), Business, Building, and Other Support Services (=-4.7K), Construction (-32.8K), and Other Services (Except Public Administration) (-29.4K). 

 

Employment by Region

In October, employment in most of Ontario’s. CMAs were close to or above pre-COVID levels. Those that saw the greatest employment gains in October were led by Toronto(+42.7K) and followed by Oshawa(+5.6K), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (+4.6K), Windsor (+3.4K), London (+2.7K), St. Catharines-Niagara (+2.7K), Greater Sudbury (+1.1K), Kingston (+0.8K), Thunder Bay (+0.6K), Peterborough (+0.6K), Barrie (+0.5K). 

 

Regions that saw employment loss were Ottawa-Gatineau (-9.5K), Belleville (-2.5K), Hamilton (-0.9K), Guelph (-0.5K), and Brantford (-0.1K). 

 

Is your company looking for help hiring top talent or need staffing solutions? Contact Nova Staffing! Our team of employment experts has over 200 years of combined industry experience and is here to help.

 

Ontario Employment Outlook: September 2021 Report

Ontario’s employment outlook improved again in September. The province had very few remaining COVID-19 restrictions and case numbers continued to drop, which helped boost employment.

 

Here is a look at how employment in Ontario was impacted in September 2021, compiled by our employment experts at Nova Staffing.  All data is from the Ontario Government September 2021 Labour Market report.

 

 

Employment Summary

In September, Ontario had 7.5 million (60.6%) employed individuals, which was up by 73,600 (1.0%) from August’s employment. This was the fourth consecutive month of employment gains, as was likely due to indoor capacity being raised for most venues and businesses.

 

Unemployment, as a result, dropped down to 7.3% in September, a decrease from 7.6% in August. September marked the first time employment in Ontario was above (0.1%) its pre-COVID-19 February levels since the start of the pandemic!

 

Employment by Age

Youth employment (ages 15-24) saw employment increase by 18,800 in September, which was up 1.9% from the previous month. Unemployment for youths also dropped to 12.5% from 13.8%.

 

Adult employment (ages 15-54) also added 53,700 new jobs in September, a 1.1% increase from August. Unemployment for adults did increase slightly from 6.3% in August to 6.4% in September. However, adult employment did surpass its pre-COVID February 2020 level.

 

Senior employment (ages 55 and up) was nearly the same in August and September. Senior unemployment dropped from 7.1% in August to 6.6% in September.

 

Employment by Sector

Certain sectors were hit harder by COVID-19 than others. Although restrictions lifted in July and capacity was raised in September, some industries are taking longer than others to reach their pre-COVID levels. Sectors that saw employment growth in September were led by Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (+98.8%), Public Administration (+34.0%), Information, Culture, and Recreation (+29.6%), and Educational Services (+24.3%).

 

Sectors that saw employment loss in September include Other Services except for Public Admin (-46.7%), Accommodation and Food Services (-44.8%), Construction (-29.7%), and Business, Building, and Other Support Services (-26.3%).

 

Employment by Region

Thirteen of Ontario’s CMAs saw employment growth from August 2021 to September 2021. Toronto led employment gains with 53.6, followed by St. Catharines-Niagara (9.2), Oshawa (7.4), Hamilton (5.0), Belleville (3.5), Barrie (1.6), Guelph (1.4), London (1.2), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (1.2), Kingston (1.0), Peterborough (0.9), Greater Sudbury (0.6), and Thunder Bay (0.4).

 

The three CMAs in Ontario that saw employment loss were Ottawa-Gatineau (-11.3), Windsor (-0.5), and Brantford (-0.2).

 

Is your company looking for help hiring top talent or need staffing solutions? Contact Nova Staffing! Our team of employment experts has over 200 years of combined industry experience and is here to help.

 

Ontario Employment Outlook: February 2021 Report

After a rocky start to the year in January, which saw employment sharply drop as a result of a second lockdown, February saw employment bounce back. Ontario’s employment rate increased by 1.4%, the largest increase month-from-month since last September.

 

Here is a quick market summary report of Ontario’s employment outlook for February 2021, compiled by our staffing experts at Nova Staffing. All data is from the Ontario Government February 2021 Labour Market Report.

 

 

Employment Outlook

Employment dropped significantly in January 2021 as a result of the second provincial-wide COVID-19 lockdown. February saw it pick up, with Ontario’s employment rate rising to 58.5% from 57.7% in January, adding 100,300 new jobs.

 

In addition to employment increasing, unemployment also went down. The unemployment rate dropped from 10.2% in January to 9.2% in February. Overall, Ontario saw the number of unemployed individuals drop by 9.5%.

 

Employment by Age

Age continued to play a factor in employment in February, with Youth (15-24) remaining the furthest from pre-COVID levels than any other age group. Youth Employment did increase in February, though, adding 23,100 new jobs. Youth unemployment in Ontario also dropped to 20.9% from 21.8%.

 

After taking a major hit in January, Adult Employment (25-54) added 66,700 new jobs in February and saw unemployment in this demographic drop from 8.3% to 7.3%. Senior employment also added 10,500 new jobs and saw unemployment drop to 7.1% from 8.3% in January.

 

Employment by Sector

Employment in certain industries was hit harder than others due to what Ontario considered “essential” during the lockdown. Certain sectors fell well below their pre-COVID employment numbers in February, while others saw increases. In February, the industries that saw the greatest employment growth were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (+40.3%), Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, and Leasing (+28.5%), Manufacturing (+27.2%), and Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Quarrying, and Oil (+0.6%).

 

Other sectors saw significant employment loss in February and were far from their pre-COVID levels. The greatest employment loss was in Accommodation and Food Services (-121.9%), Wholesale and Retail Trade (-85.3%), Business, Building, and Other Support Services (-51.5%), and Transportation and Warehousing (-36%).

 

Employment by Region

After a rough January, employment increased in ten of the sixteen Ontario CMAs in February. The regions that saw employment growth were Ottawa-Gatineau (+13.2%), London (+4%), Hamilton (+3.9%), Peterborough (+2.1%), Windsor (+2%), Belleville (+1.6%), Guelph (+1.2), Barrie (+0.2%), Brantford (+0.2%), Kingston (+0.1%).

 

Not all regions of Ontario saw employment growth in February 2021. Six of Ontario CMAs saw a decrease. These regions were Toronto (-38.3%), St. Catharine’s-Niagara (-4.5%), Oshawa (-2.25), Thunder Bay (-0.9%), Greater Sudbury (-0.4%), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (-0.1%).

 

Are you looking for more employment insight or staffing solutions? Contact Nova Staffing today! We’re one of the top employment agencies in the GTA and have a team of HR experts ready to help you with all of your staffing needs.

 

Ontario Employment Outlook: January 2021 Report

Employment in Ontario got off to a rough start in 2021. After a slight dip in December, January saw a sharp employment decline. Of the 12.3 million people aged 15 and up in the province, 7.1 million were employed. The second provincial-wide COVID-19 lockdown was likely a significant factor in unemployment rising.

 

Here is a quick market summary report of Ontario’s employment outlook for January 2021, compiled by our employment experts at Nova Staffing. All data is from the Ontario Government January 2021 Labour Market Report.

 

 

Employment Outlook

Employment in Ontario dropped significantly in January for the first time since May when the pandemic was at its peak. Employment declined by 2.1%, after being mostly unchanged in December. Overall, employment in January in the province was 5.4% lower than its February 2020 pre-COVID-10 levels.

 

Not only did employment growth slow, but unemployment also rose. Unemployment in Ontario was at 10.2% in January, rising from 9.5% in December. This was the largest percentage point increase since May. This was a Canada-wide trend, with Canada’s overall unemployment rate increased to 9.4% in January from 8.8% in December.

 

Employment by Age

Youth (15-24) bore the brunt of job losses in January. Employment for that age demographic fell by 9.6%, with 90,100 fewer jobs compared to December. Unemployment for youths rose to 21.8% from 20.9% the previous month.

 

Adult employment (25-54) also took a hit, with 51,700 fewer jobs in January. Unemployment for this demographic rose to 8.3% from 7.6% in December. Senior employment (55+) also faced job losses, with employment declining by 11,700 (0.7%) jobs in January. Unemployment for seniors rose to 8.3% from 7.2% in December.

 

Employment by Sector

Government restrictions on what types of businesses are deemed essential during the lockdown continued to play a role in which industries saw employment gains and losses. In January, the industry sectors with the most employment growth were Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, and Leasing (+5.8%), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (+4.8%), Manufacturing (+1.6%), and Public Administration (+0.7%).

 

Other sectors saw significant employment loss and were far away from pre-COVID-19 levels. The industries with the greatest employment loss were Accommodation and Food Services (-35.4%), Business, Building, and Other Support Services (-17%), Agriculture (-11.9%), and Information, Culture, and Recreation (-11.3%).

 

Employment by Region

Employment fell in eight of the sixteen Ontario CMAs between December 2020 and January 2021. Barrie saw the largest employment decrease (-5.4%) followed by St. Catharines-Niagara (-5.1%), Oshawa (-2.6%), Brantford (-1.8%), Guelph (-1.6%), Greater Sudbury (-1.5%), Thunder Bay (-1.3%), and Toronto (-1.1%).

 

Other regions in Ontario were less impacted, though, and saw employment increase. The Ottawa-Gatineau region led employment growth (+1.8%) followed by Hamilton (+1.7%), London (+1.1%), Peterborough (+1.1%), Belleville (+0.6%), Kingston (+0.5%), Windsor (+0.5%), and Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (+0.1%).

 

Are you looking for more employment insight or staffing solutions? Contact Nova Staffing today! We’re one of the best employment agencies in the GTA and have a team of HR experts ready to help you with all of your staffing needs.

 

Ontario Employment Outlook: November 2020 Report

Employment across Ontario continued to improve in November, however, another round of lockdowns did see unemployment rise in certain sectors and demographics. Of the 12.4 million people in Ontario aged 15 and older, 7.3 million were employed in November. Although the year is now over, the pandemic continues to impact employment across the province.

 

Here is a quick market summary report of Ontario’s employment outlook for November 2020, compiled by our employment experts at Nova Staffing. All data is from the Ontario Government November 2020 Labour market report.

 

 

Employment Outlook

Employment in Ontario increased slightly in November from October, adding 30,600 new jobs. This is a 0.4% increase from last month, though overall, the employment rate did not change.

 

While unemployment increased in October, November saw unemployment decrease again. There were 786,000 unemployed residents in Ontario (9.1%), a 0.5% decrease from October’s 9.6% unemployment rate.

 

Employment by Age

Youth employment (15-24) was hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and has been the slowest to recover. This age demographic did see some improvement in November, adding 12,100 new jobs that month. Unemployment for this demographic is still at 20.2%, though, the highest amongst all ages.

 

Adult employment didn’t see much change from October, only adding 1,700 new jobs in November. Unemployment also slightly increased for adults, up to 7.6% from 7.5% in October. Senior employment saw a decrease in October but improved in November, adding 22,800 new jobs. Unemployment for seniors also dropped to 6.5% from 7.3%.

 

Employment by Sector

Certain industries were hit hardest by the pandemic and closures. 57% of job losses during Feb-May were from four sectors, and these account for the majority of the jobs gained since spring.

 

Certain sectors have struggled to return to their pre-pandemic levels and have been gaining jobs the slowest. These include Accommodation and Food Services (-18.1%), Transportation and Warehousing (-14.2%), Business, Building, and Other Support Services (-13.3%), and Agriculture (-8.5%).

 

Meanwhile, other industries added jobs in November, like Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Quarrying, and Oil (+12.8%), Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing (+3.5%), Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (+2.7%), and Manufacturing (+1.7%).

 

Employment by Region

Employment increases and decreases have been varying based on the region in Ontario. COVID-19 has impacted regions of the province differently and lockdown restrictions have varied as well. In November, Hamilton led employment growth seeing a 2.2% increase. It was followed by Toronto (+1.5%), Kingston (+1.4%), Thunder Bay (+1.2%), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (+1.1%), and Oshawa (+0.6%).

 

If you’re looking for help fulfilling job positions or looking for hiring solutions, contact Nova Staffing today! We’re one of the best employment agencies in Toronto and have a team of HR experts ready to help you with all of your staffing needs.

 

Ontario Employment Outlook: September 2020 Report

Ontario’s employment continues to rebound nicely in September from the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the province hard in February and May. Though the province has gone back and forth on its pandemic restrictions, businesses continue to reopen, and employment is rising. September marked the fourth consecutive month of employment increase since the COVID-19 downturn hit in the spring. 

 

Here is a quick report outlining Ontario’s employment outlook summary for September 2020, compiled by our employment experts at Nova Staffing. All data is from the Ontario Government September 2020 Labour market report. 

 

 

Employment Outlook

Employment in Ontario increased by 2.4% in September, adding 167,600 new jobs. This means that of the 12.3 million people in the province, 7.2 million of them, or 59%) are employed. This is up 0.2% from August. 

 

Unemployment also improved in Ontario in September. There were only 757,400 unemployed people or 9.5%. This is down 0.5% from August when unemployment was at 10.6%. Overall, employment in the province continues to improve and likely will continue to do so as more businesses reopen. 

 

Employment by Age

Youth employment (those aged 15 to 24) was hit the hardest by COVID-19, and continues to struggle the most in the job search. Due to a number of businesses reopening, though, this age group saw an increase of 80,700 in September. Despite the gains, this age group still has the highest rate of unemployment at 23%. This is down from the 27.7% unemployment rate in August, though.

 

Adult employment has fared better. Adults aged 25 to 54 saw 78,600 new jobs in September and had an unemployment rate of 7.3%. Senior employment for those 55 and older is also improving slowly. There were 8,300 new jobs added in September, and unemployment for this age group was at 7.1%. 

 

Employment by Sector

Government restrictions during the pandemic meant certain industries were hit harder than others. Over half of the job losses from February to May were concentrated in four sectors. These continue sectors are gaining employment each month but are still below their pre-pandemic numbers. Accommodation and Food Services has bounced back the slowest and is still 13.8% under its pre-COVID numbers. This sector is followed by Business, Building, and other Support Services (-12.3%), Agriculture (-12.5%), Transportation and Warehousing (-11.3%), and Construction (-9.5%).

 

Most other sectors took dips during the pandemic’s height, but they weren’t hit nearly as hard. These industries have managed to grow beyond their pre-pandemic numbers. Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Quarrying, and Oil was 8% above its old levels in September. It was followed by Manufacturing (+2.3%), Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate (+0.9%), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (+0.4%), and Educational Services (+0.4%).

 

Employment by Region

Employment gains continued to vary depending on the region in September. Urban areas such as Toronto were hit the hardest during COVID-19 but continue to bounce back. Oshawa had the highest employment increase in September, increased by 4% (8,300 jobs), followed by St. Catharine & Niagara (+3.5%), Toronto (+3.2%), Thunder Bay (+3.2%), Brantford (+2.2%), and London (+1.7%).

 

If you’re a job seeker or a business looking for hiring solutions, contact our employment experts today! Nova Staffing is one of the best employment agencies in Brampton and the GTA and has a team ready to help with all of your staffing needs. We boast over 100 years of combined industry experience, and we have professionals that speak English, French, Hindi, Punjabi, Mandarin, Arabic, and Urdu. 

 

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.