Ontario Employment Outlook: December 2021

Ontario’s employment continued to improve in December 2021, making it the seventh consecutive month the province saw employment increase. This was despite COVID-19 restrictions coming into place late in the month due to the Omicron variant.

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

Employment Summary

In December, Ontario had 7.7 million (61.6%) employed individuals, up 46,900 (0.6%) jobs from November. Overall, the province was 2.1% (160,600 jobs) above its pre-COVID-19 February 2020 levels. 

As employment increased, unemployment in Ontario dropped. In December, there were 491,900 unemployed individuals in the province, down 5.1% from the 519,100 unemployed individuals in November.  

Employment by Age

Youth employment (15-24) saw an increase of 18,800 in December, following a decline in the previous month. Unemployment for this demographic dropped to 10.8%, down from 11.4% in November. 

Adult employment (25-54) also saw an increase of 28,500 new jobs in December, meaning this age group was 3.3% above its pre-COVID levels. Unemployment for adults dropped from 5.1% in November to 5.0% in December. Senior employment (55+) had no significant employment change in December, but unemployment for this demographic did drop 6%, down from 6.9% from the previous month. 

Employment by Sector

Employment sectors continued to gain at different rates in December 2021. Those that saw the greatest employment gains in Ontario were led by Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (+96 K), and followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (+59.2 K), Information, Culture, and Recreation (+39.3 K), and Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing (+36 K). 

Ontario industries that saw the greatest employment loss in December were Accommodation and Food Services (-50.5 K), Other Services (Except Public Administration) (-45.9 K), Business, Building, and Other Support Services (-31.3 K), and Construction (-17.8 K).  

Employment by Region

Fourteen of Ontario’s CMAs saw employment growth in December. The regions that saw the greatest growth was Toronto (+210.7 K), followed by Windsor (+31.2 K), London (+25.9), Hamilton (+20.0 K), Ottawa-Gatineau (+18.6 K), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (+17.2 K), Oshawa (+11.6 K), Guelph (+10.2 K), St. Catharines-Niagara (+9.8 K), Peterborough (+8.4 K), Barrie (+4.4 K), Greater Sudbury (+2.7 K), Thunder Bay (+2.2 K), and Belleville (+0.8 K). 

 The two Ontario regions that saw employment loss in December were Kingston (-1.7 K) and Brantford (-0.6 K). 

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: November 2021

Ontario’s employment improved again in November 2021, marking the sixth consecutive month that the province saw employment increase. This was likely due to Ontario being primarily free from COVID-19 restrictions, although proof of vaccination was mandatory. 

 

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

 

 

Employment Summary

In November, Ontario had 7.6 million employed individuals, up 68,100 jobs (0.9%) from October. This brought the province 113,700 (1.5%) above its pre-COVID-19 February 2020 levels. 

 

In November, unemployment also decreased, with 519,100 unemployed individuals, down 8.6% from the 567,900 unemployed people in the previous month. 

 

Employment by Age

Youth employment continued to be the most impacted in November. Youth employment (15-24) dropped by 11,600 jobs in November, after gaining 18,100 jobs in October. Unemployment for youths jumped to 11.4% from 9.9%. 

 

In November, adult employment (25-54) saw a major jump in employment, adding 63,800 new jobs. Unemployment for this age demographic dropped to 5.1% from 6.3% in October. After seeing no change the previous month, senior employment added 15,900 jobs in November, and unemployment for seniors dropped to 6.9% from 7.2%. 

 

Employment by Sector

Certain sectors continued to struggle to get to their pre-COVID levels. The sectors that saw the most employment loss were led by Accommodation and Food Services (-50.3K), Other Services (Except Public Admin) (-49.7 K), Business, Building, and Other Support Services (-32.8K), Construction (-19.5K).

 

Industries that saw the greatest employment growth in November 2021 were led by Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (+97.7K), Information, Culture, and Recreation (+46.5K), Wholesale and Retail Trade (+41.3K), and Finance, insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing (+32.3K).

 

Employment by Region

Thirteen of Ontario’s CMA’s saw employment growth in November. This was led by Toronto (+32.9K), and followed by Oshawa (+7.6K), Windsor (+7.1K), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (+5.0K), London (+2.6K), Thunder Bay (+1.0K), Greater Sudbury (+0.9K), Barrie (+0.9K), Belleville (+0.7K), Kingston (+0.5K), Guelph (+0.4K), Peterborough (+0.3K), and Brantford (+0.1K)

 

The three regions that saw employment loss in Ontario in November 2021 were Ottawa-Gatineau (-3.4K), Hamilton (-2.9K), and St. Catharines-Niagara (-2.1K). 

 

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: 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: August 2021 Report

Ontario’s employment outlook continued to improve in August 2021. The province moved into Stage 3 of COVID-19 reopening in the middle of July, which helped boost employment. Those effects continued into August. 

 

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

 

 

Employment Summary

In August, Ontario had 7.4 million (60.1%) employed individuals, adding 53,000 jobs. This was a 0.7% increase from July, where the employment rate was 59.8%. This increase was likely a lingering effect of the province entering Stage 3 of pandemic reopening.

 

Unemployment was also positively impacted. In August, there were 607,500 (7.6%) individuals, which was a 5.4% decrease from the previous month’s rate. 

 

Employment by Age

Youth employment (15-24) saw 26,500 new jobs in August. This was an increase of 2.7% from July. Unemployment for this demographic also improved, dropping to 13.8% from 14.5% the previous month.

 

Adult employment (25-54) also improved in August. This demographic added 8,500 new jobs, a 0.2% monthly increase. However, unemployment also dropped from 6.5% in July to 6.3% in August. Senior employment (55+) added 18,200 new jobs, a 1.1% increase, following a 1.1% decrease in July. Unemployment for seniors was 7.1%, down from 8.1% the previous month.

 

Employment by Sector

Some industries continued to be hit harder in terms of employment than others. While the province moved into Stage 3 of reopening in July, restrictions were still in place that impacted employment in certain industries. 

 

Sectors that saw employment growth include Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (+80.6%), Educational Services (+19.9%), Public Administration (+18.4%), and Manufacturing (+6.1%). 

 

Not every industry was lucky enough to have employment gains. The sectors that saw the greatest employment loss and were the furthest from their pre-pandemic employment levels were Other Services (Except Public Admin.) (-39.2%), Accommodation and Food Services (-29.6%), Construction (-29.6%), and Business, Building, and Other Support Services (-28.3%).

 

Employment by Region

Thirteen of Ontario’s sixteen CMA’s saw employment growth in August 2021. Regions that saw the most employment growth was led by Toronto (+70.6%) and followed by St.Catharines-Niagara (+7.2%), Hamilton (+4.7%), Oshawa (+4.2%), Windsor (+2.3%), Belleville (+2.2%), Kingston (+2.2%), London (+1.9%), Guelph (+1.3%), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (+1.3%), Thunder Bay (+0.6%), Greater Sudbury (+0.4%), and Brantford (+0.1%).

 

Only three regions saw employment loss in August. These were Ottawa-Gatineau (-5.5%), Peterborough (-1.7%), and Barrie (-0.1%). 

 

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: July 2021 Report

Ontario’s employment continued to improve in July 2021, following June’s trend. This was likely due to the province moving into Stage 2 of reopening at the end of June and into Stage 3 in the middle of July. More types of businesses were allowed to reopen and expand capacity, helping employment. 

 

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

 

 

Employment Summary

In July, Ontario had 7.4 million (59.8%) employed individuals, up 72,400 from June, a 1% increase. Employment was still 1.6% below its pre-COVID-10 February 2020 levels. 

 

Unemployment also improved in July. Ontario’s unemployment rate dropped down to 4% from 8.4% in June. In total, 641,900 people were unemployed, down 4% from the previous month.

 

Employment by Age

Youth employment (15-24) saw a 42,500 job increase in July. This was a slower increase than the previous month, but unemployment dropped down to 14.5% from 17.2% in June.

 

Adult employment (25-54) added 47,200 employed individuals, a 1% increase from the previous month. Unemployment stayed unchanged at 6.5%. Senior unemployment (55+) didn’t improve in July, however. This demographic saw 17,400 fewer jobs in July, though unemployment did drop to 8.2% from 8.3% in June. 

 

Employment by Sector

Different industries continued to be hit harder by COVID-19 precautions than others, even moving into reopening Stage 2 and Stage 3. Sectors that were furthest from their pre-COVID-19 levels were Accommodation and Food Services (-80.2%), Construction (-39.2%), Information, Culture, and Recreation (-31.1%), Business, Building, and Other Support Services (-22.2%), and Transportation and Warehousing (-22.2%).

 

Other industries saw employment gains in July 2021. These sectors include Professional, Scientific, and Technical Service (+67.5%), Manufacturing (+27.1%), Public Administration (+17.4%), Health Care and Social Assistance (+11.3%), and Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing (+7.4%).

 

Employment by Region

Twelve of Ontario’s sixteen CMA’s saw employment gains in July 2021. Toronto led with 44.4%, followed by Barrie (+4.6%), Ottawa-Gatineau (+3.3%), Oshawa (+3.1%), Guelph (+2.3%), St. Catharines-Niagara (+2.2%), Belleville (+1.6%), London (+0.7%), Windsor (+0.3%), Brantford (+0.2%), Kingston (+0.2%), and Thunder Bay (+0.1%).

 

Only four of Ontario’s CMAs saw employment loss, including Hamilton (-2.5%), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (-0.8%), Greater Sudbury (-0.5%), and Peterborough (-0.4%). 

 

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: June 2021 Report

Employment in Ontario improved in June, after three consecutive months of it going down. This was likely due to the extended provincial-wide stay-at-home order being lifted. Ontario also entered Stage 2 of opening on June 30th, meaning many businesses, such as restaurants, started rehiring. 

 

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

 

 

Employment Summary

Ontario had 7.3 million (59.2%) employed individuals in June 2021, up by 116,900 from May, which was a 1.6% increase. Employment was still below its pre-COVID-19 February 2021 levels by -2.5%.

 

Unemployment also decreased in June to 8.4%, down from 9.3% in May. In total, 668,000 people were unemployed, down 8.8% from the previous month. 

 

Employment by Age

Youth employment (15-24) continued to be the furthest from its pre-COVID levels, but it did drastically improve in June. Youth employment increased by 85,700 jobs, and unemployment dropped to 17.2% from 20.7% in May. 

 

Adult employment (25-54) also saw improvement, with a 20,000-job increase. Unemployment dropped from 7% in May down to 6.5% in June. Senior employment (55+) saw gains as well. Senior employment increased by 11,100 jobs, and unemployment went down to 8.3%. 

 

Employment by Sector

Certain industries were hit harder by COVID-19 due to government shutdowns of those deemed non-essential. Sectors that were hit the hardest and were the furthest from their pre-COVID levels in June were Accommodation and Food Services (-100.8%), Wholesale and Retail Trade (-42.3%), Business, Building, and Other Support Services (-33.3%), and Construction (-32.1%).

 

Not all sectors struggled, though. Many Ontario industries saw employment growth in June, led by Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (+70.2%), Public Administration (+22.9%), Health Care and Social Assistance (+9.7%), and Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental, and Leasing (+4.9%).

 

Employment by Region

Ontario saw employment gains in seven on its 16 CMAs. Regions with the most employment growth were led by Toronto (+10.4%) and followed by Ottawa-Gatineau (+6%), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (+0.5%), London (+0.4%), Thunder Bay (+0.3%), Barrie (+0.2%), and Greater Sudbury (+0.1%). 

 

Other regions in Ontario saw employment loss, including Hamilton (-6.6%), Belleville (-5.1%), St.Catharines-Niagara (-4.1%), Kingston (-2.4%), Oshawa (-1.8%), Brantford (-1.7%), Windsor (-1.5%), Guelph (-0.8%), Peterborough (-0.3%). 

 

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: May 2021 Report

Employment in Ontario decreased for the second consecutive month in May. This was due to the extended provincial-wide Stay-at-Home order that took effect in April. This required many non-essential businesses to close down or reduce business operations.

 

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

 

 

Employment Summary

In May, there were 7.2 million employed individuals in Ontario. This was down 31,600 jobs (0.4%) from April. Ontario’s employment was 4.5% below its pre-COVID-19 February 2020 level.

 

As a result of the province’s stay-at-home order and COVID-19 restrictions, unemployment rose in May. There were 733,000 unemployed people in Ontario, up 2.3% from April.

 

Employment by Age

Youth employment (15-24) continued to be hit hardest by COVID-19 unemployment. Employment decreased by 23,000 jobs in May, with unemployment rising from 20.4% in April to 20.7%.

 

 Adult employment (25-54) fared better in May, adding 7,700 jobs. Unemployment for this demographic also decreased from 7.3% down to 7.0%. Senior employment (55+) was hit in May, losing 16,200 jobs. Unemployment rose from 7.2% in April up to 8.8% in May.

 

Employment by Sector

Employment in certain sectors was hit harder than others due to which ones were considered essential by the government. Industries that saw employment loss were Accommodation and Food Services (-116.3%), Wholesale and Retail Trade (-99.0%), Business, Building, and Other Support Services (-39.9%), and Construction (-36.1%).

 

Some industries, particularly those deemed essential during the lockdown, saw employment growth during May. This included Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (+53.3%), Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing (+22.5%), Public Administration (+10%), and Manufacturing (+0.4%).

 

Employment by Region

Even though Ontario’s overall employment outlook dropped, sixteen of the province’s CMAs saw employment growth in May. This included Peterborough (+3.1%), Ottawa-Gatineau (+2.3%), St. Catharines-Niagara (+2.2%), Toronto (+1.6%), Barrie (+1.1%), Guelph (+1.1%), London (+1.0%), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (+0.8%), Greater Sudbury (+0.3%), and Thunder Bay (+0.1%).

 

Other regions weren’t so lucky and saw employment decrease in May 2021. These regions were Oshawa (-4.0%), Kingston (-3.3%), Belleville (-2.3%), Hamilton (-2.1%), Windsor (-1.1%), and Brantford (-0.8%).

 

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: April 2021 Report

Ontario’s employment took a major blow in April, after the province’s mandatory closure of non-essential businesses. A provincial-wide stay-at-home order also took effect on April 8th, 2021, impacting employment and businesses even more. 

 

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

 

 

Employment Summary

Employment dropped significantly in Ontario in April due to provincial-wide measures meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 that shut down or limited many businesses. 7.2 million people in Ontario were employed in April, down from 152,700 jobs from March

 

Unemployment rose as a result as well. Unemployment dropped down to 7.5% in March but rose up to 9% in April with 716,800 fewer jobs. This was a shocking 20.2% increase in unemployment. 

 

Employment by Age

Youth employment continued to suffer the most as a result of COVID-19 measures. In April, youth employment (15-24) had 73,000 fewer jobs and saw unemployment rise to 20.4%, up from 15.1% in April. 

 

Adult employment (25-54) was also heavily impacted by the measured put in place in April 2021. This demographic saw employment decrease 37,600 jobs, with unemployment rising from 6.7% in March to 7.3% in April. Senior employment also suffered, losing 42,100 jobs and unemployment rising to 7.2%.  

 

Employment by Sector

Government restriction on the types of businesses deemed essential and other measures disproportionally impacted some sectors more than others. In April, those that were furthest were their pre-COVID-19 levels were Accommodation and Food Services (-135.1%), Wholesale and Retail Trade (-73%), Business, Building, and Other Support Services (-45.6%), and Transportation and Warehousing (-27.9%). 

 

Not all industries saw employment loss, however. A number of sectors, especially those deemed essential by the government, saw employment growth in April. This included Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (+40.8%), Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing (+33.4%), Manufacturing (+14.7%), and Public Administration (+8.9%). 

 

Employment by Region

Despite Ontario’s overall employment outlook dropping in April, thirteen out of the province’s sixteen CMAs saw employment levels increase between March and April. This included Hamilton (6.6%), Ottawa-Gatineau (6.4%), St. Catharines-Niagara (6.1%), Toronto (4.9%), London (3.6%), Windsor (3%), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (3%), Peterborough (2.8%), Barrie (2%), Guelph (1.8%), Brantford (1%), and Greater Sudbury (0.7%).

 

The three regions that saw notable declines in employment were Oshawa (-2.4%), Belleville (-2%), and Kingston (-1.3%). 

 

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

 

 

Ontario Employment Outlook: March 2021 Report

Employment in Ontario recovered even more in March after a devastating January. This was due to the stay-at-home order being lifted for most regions in Ontario around this time. Businesses were able to reopen, causing a surge in employment.

 

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

 

Employment Summary

Employment increased in Ontario in March, with 7.4 million people employed, up by 182,300 jobs from February. This was likely due to the stay-at-home order being lifted in the province.

 

Unemployment also dropped down to 7.5% in March from 9.2% in February. There were only 596,400 unemployed individuals in the province, down from 726,500. Overall, unemployment decreased by 17.9% in March.

 

Employment by Age

Although youth employment (15-24) continues to be the most impacted by COVID-19, this demographic did see employment gains in March. Youth employment added 59,000 jobs, and unemployment dropped to 15.1%, down from 20.9% in February.

 

Adult employment (25-54) added 61,700 new jobs in March, with the unemployment rate dropped from 7.3% in February down to 6.7%. Senior employment also saw gains this month, adding 61,600 new jobs. Unemployment for seniors also dropped down to 5%.

 

Employment by Sector

Certain industries continued to be hitter harder due to COVID-19. Although the stay-at-home order was lifted in March, a number of sectors were still not allowed to operate at full capacity. The sectors that continued to struggle in March and were furthest from their pre-COVID-19 numbers were: Accommodation and Food Services (-111.5%), Business, Building, and Other Support Services (-40.9%), and Transportation and Warehousing (-32.1%), and Construction (-19.1%).

 

Not all industries struggled, though. Some industries were able to increase employment in March such as Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (+41.6%), Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing (+26.1%), Manufacturing (+24.8%), and Educational Services (+21.1%).

 

Employment by Region

Although the majority of Ontario saw the stay-at-home order lifted, certain regions such as Toronto were still heavily restricted, resulting in employment losses. The regions that saw employment loss or no gains in March were Belleville (-2.4%), Oshawa (-2.0%), Kingston (-0.6%), Toronto (-0.6%), Thunder Bay (-0.2%), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (0%).

 

Ten of Ontario’s CMAs did see employment growth in Match, though. These include Windsor (+8.1%), Ottawa-Gatineau (+6.6%), Hamilton (+6.5%), St. Catharine’s- Niagara (+4.4%), Barrie (+3.3%), Peterborough (+2.6%), Brantford (+2.1%), Guelph (+2.0%), London (+1.3%), Greater Sudbury (+0.6%).

 

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