Ontario Employment Outlook: December 2020 Report

For the first time since May, employment in Ontario decreased. Of the 12.4 million people in the province, 7.3 million were employed in December 2020. The second provincial lockdown due to COVID-19 was likely a significant factor in decreased employment and increased unemployment rates. 

 

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

 

 

Employment Outlook

Employment in Ontario took a hit in December, dropping for the first time since May when the pandemic was at the peak. This was likely due to the second provincial wide lockdown that officially started on December 26th. Employment decreased by 11,900 jobs in December, down 0.2% from November.

 

Unemployment saw an increase in December after decreasing the previous month. In December, there were 762,500 unemployed people in Ontario, up 3.9% from the previous month. 

 

Employment by Age

Youth Employment (15–24) continued to be the most impacted by the pandemic in December, with unemployment sitting at 20.9%. This was up slightly from 20.2% in November. Employment did increase in this demographic, though, with 15,400 new jobs. 

 

Adult Employment (25-54) was hit hard in December, losing 35,300 jobs, though unemployment stayed at 7.6%. Senior Employment (55+) increased by 8,000 jobs. Unemployment unfortunately also increased to 7.2% from 6.5% the previous month.  

 

Employment by Sector

Certain sectors continued to be hit harder than others. The second lockdown meant only certain businesses deemed essential were allowed to operate fully. This resulted in some seeing employment gains while others continued to drop below pre-COVID levels. 

 

The sectors with the biggest employment growth in December were Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Quarrying, and Oil (+7.1%), Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, Rental and Leasing (+4.2%), Manufacturing (+3.9%), and Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (+3.1%). 

 

The sectors that struggled to regain their pre-COVID-19 employment levels in December were, Accommodation and Food Services (-23.9%), Business, Building, and Other Support Services (-18%), Transportation and Warehousing (-13.2%), and Other Services (except Public Admin.) (-8.1%).

 

Employment by Region

Due to the second lockdown, employment levels in many of Ontario’s CMA’s fell between November and December. Some of Ontario’s biggest cities, such as St. Catharine’s-Niagara and Toronto, saw employment levels drop for the first time in months. The regions that saw employment increase in December were: Hamilton (2.2%), Kingston (1.6%), London (1.4%), Peterborough (1%), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (1%), and Thunder Bay (0.2%).

 

If you’re looking for 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 employment needs. 

4 Creative Ways to Improve Working from Home

As COVID-19 continues to keep workers at home, many employees and employers are now looking for creative solutions to help make remote working more enjoyable. While both workers and businesses have enjoyed the benefits of working from home, there are still some challenges. Having clear work and personal boundaries can help reduce burnout and stress. Here are a few creative ways our HR experts recommend trying to improve your remote working experience.

 

Fake Commutes

One of the biggest benefits of remote working is not having to commute to the office anymore. While not having to trek into the workspace is great, many employees have found they miss certain parts of their commute. One of the newest creative trends remote workers have adopted is adding a fake commute to their daily routine. Whether it’s taking a walk around the block or grabbing a cup from their favorite coffee house, adding a faux commute is a great way to get ready for the workday mentally.

 

Dedicated Space

It’s been proven many times that our environment impacts our productivity. That’s why having a dedicated workspace in your home is a great way to improve your remote working experience. This looks different for everyone, so try to spend some time tweaking your home to see what works best for you. If you have to be on video chat, make sure the area around you is professional looking.

 

Multiple Communication Platforms

One of the biggest changes working from home has resulted in is how workplaces communicate with each other. People used to have many options- phone calls, in-person visits, emails, etc. Many employers have made the mistake of sticking to one communication method when remote working. Not only is this monotonous, but not all employees communicate the same way. Employers should try implementing multiple communication methods such as emails, internal chats, phone calls, and video calls, which should help keep everyone engaged.

 

Company Culture

Working from home has many benefits, but one of the biggest struggles our HR experts at Nova Staffing have heard is that it’s harder to establish and foster company culture. This is one of the biggest hurdles of remote working, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible! There are still many ways employers can build relationships between employees and have fun. From virtual happy hour to trivia tournaments, there are tons of ways to keep your company culture alive and ensure employees still have positive experiences with their coworkers.

 

If you’re looking for staffing solutions or need help finding quality candidates for your company, contact Nova Staffing today! We’re one of the best employment agencies in the GTA and have a team of staffing experts ready to help you. Our team has over 200 years of combined industry experience and speaks English, French, Hindi, Punjabi, Mandarin, Arabic, and Urdu!

 

How Ontario’s Second Lockdown Will Impact Employment

Ontario has recently once again moved into lockdown to help stop the spread of COVID-19. While Toronto has seen some level of restrictions since the virus first hit the city, this will be a major blow for other parts of the province that have seen more freedom. One of the big questions employment agencies have been getting is how the second lockdown will impact employment and hiring. Here are a few things companies should get ready for.

 

More Remote Working

Get ready to see remote working reach new levels. One of the biggest things coming with the latest lockdown is that all non-essential employees who do not need to be in the workspace physically will now be required to work from home. That means employers who have adopted a hybrid work-from-home model or asked employees to return to offices will now have to embrace remote working again.

 

Back to Virtual Schooling

Working parents that chose to send their kids back to physical school will now have to get ready for virtual schooling once again. Employers should support parents during this time and try to understand that working parents now have to be employees, parents, and teachers. It’s a lot for anyone! Try to be more flexible with work hours and understanding if an issue arises.

 

Safety Plans

While remote working will increase once again with the lockdown, not all businesses will be impacted. There are still a number of industries, such as transportation, essential workers, and more, that will still have to go in. Ontario is requiring all businesses that are still open and operating to prepare a COVID-19 safety plan. Companies that are remote working should also take this time to come up with a safety plan for when employees do return again. Now is also a good time to evaluate sick day policies in light of the virus.

 

Final Thoughts

It’s still too early to know how the second lockdown will impact employment growth in the province. As with the first round of restrictions, certain industries will be hit harder than others. Employers should do everything they can to support employees during this time in order to boost efficiency and morale.

 

If you need help fulfilling job positions with quality candidates, contact us today! Nova Staffing is one of Toronto’s best employment agencies and has 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.

 

5 Employment Lessons Learned During 2020

This year has been unlike any previous one. COVID-19 rocked the world, resulting in massive changes in how people lived and businesses operated. 2020 is finally coming to a close, but it’s important not to forget the lessons learned this year. Here are five employment lessons our hiring experts learned this year that businesses should keep in mind as we enter the New Year.

 

Being Proactive is Better than Reactive

When the pandemic first struck, HR professionals and businesses had to scramble to adapt work from home policies, make in-person workspaces safe, and manage remote teams. This was a chaotic time that highlighted the need for businesses to be proactive and not simply reactive.

 

COVID-19 is not the first, nor the last, disruptive event to impact business operations. Whether it’s another global pandemic or something else, businesses should make proper preparations to make sure their company and employees are resilient. Reach out to HR experts to map out a few worst-case scenarios in case employees suddenly can’t come into offices again.

 

Work From Home Has Benefits Beyond COVID-19

If 2020 taught businesses anything, it’s that most of those meetings could have been emails after all. And this isn’t a bad thing! Many businesses have realized there are benefits of adopting a work from home model beyond the pandemic. There’s a reason why so many companies are now looking into keeping remote working or adopting a hybrid model.

 

Working from home has been proven to boost productivity and morale among employees. It also helps reduce overhead costs, such as office space and upkeep costs. Remote working also eliminates commuting, saving employees time, which allows them to do more outside of work hours so they can focus on the job once they’re on the clock.

 

Compassion and Creativity Outweigh Workplace Traditions

This year has really highlighted which businesses valued their employees’ health and safety. This is a good message to carry into the New Year. This year showed just how out of touch traditional workplace practices were, like limited sick days and strict work hours. Companies that showed compassion and embraced creative solutions were the ones to thrive.

 

Businesses should take this time to re-evaluate workplace policies such as work hours, working from home, sick days, and more. For the health and safety of other employees and the business, companies should be making sick employees come into the office, even if they are out of sick days. If your company found your current policies too stringent during COVID, it’s time to update them.

 

Top-Down Communication is Key

The beginning of COVID-19 and 2020 was a chaotic, confusing blur. News around the virus and what companies were doing to combat it in the workplace were changing almost hourly at times. Companies that didn’t have clear communication suffered, and employees were left confused and unproductive.

 

There will always be challenges in a business. One thing our HR experts learned in 2020 was the importance of clear, top-down communication. Employees shouldn’t be left wondering what is going to happen. In times of crisis, companies need to make communication a priority.

 

Use Help When Needed

This year really stretched everyone’s capabilities to the limits. Between the constant changes, the confusion and chaos, and the very real fears of the virus, many people found themselves needing more help than usual. Our employment experts at Nova Staffing found this was true for businesses as well. When times get tough, companies shouldn’t be afraid of reaching out for help.

 

One great reason to use an employment agency’s services is that it allows you to focus on running and growing your business. By partnering with a great hiring agency like Nova Staffing, you’ll have more time to do your job while we find you quality candidates to fulfill your staffing needs. Contact us to speak to one of our HR experts and see how we can help your business!

 

Ontario Employment Outlook: October 2020 Report

Employment in Ontario continues to increase after a significant hit due to COVID-19. However, this month saw a decrease in growth, with unemployment rising for the first time in months. The total number of hours working in Ontario in the month of October was also down in all sectors, likely due to the second wave of the pandemic hitting the province.

 

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

 

 

Employment Outlook

Employment in Ontario increased in the month of October, with 7.3 million residents employed (59%). This is up 30,600 jobs from September, which is only a 0.4% increase. This is a slower growth compared to September, which saw a 2.4% increase.

 

Unemployment unfortunately also increased in October. There were 768,000 residents in Ontario unemployed, which is a 1.4% increase compared to last month. This increase is likely due to the second wave of the pandemic hitting the province.

 

Employment by Age

Youth employment, those aged 15-24, was hit the hardest during the pandemic and this age demographic continues to be the slowest to recover to their pre-COVID numbers. In October, 22.1% of this demographic was unemployed; however, employment is gaining slowly, with 13,100 new jobs in the month.

 

Adult employment has been faring better, with 22,900 new jobs in October. However, unemployment in this demographic was 7.5% in October, up from 7.3% in September. Senior employment took a hit in October, losing 5,300 jobs with unemployment increasing to 7.3%, up from 7.1%.

 

Employment by Sector

Restrictions during the pandemic meant certain industries were hit harder than others. Over half of the job losses between February and May were concentrated in four sectors, and these have accounted for 62.2% of the jobs gained since May.

 

Certain sectors have struggled to return to their pre-COVID-19 levels. Transportation and Warehousing (−16.2%), Accommodation and Food Services (−15.7%), Business, Building and Other support services (−13.7%), Agriculture (-11.3%), and Construction (-8.7%) have all had the most loss and continue to be the furthest from their pre-pandemic numbers.

 

Meanwhile, other sectors have bounced back more quickly. Employment was above pre-COVID February levels in Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Quarrying, Oil, and Gas (12.5%), Professional, Scientific and Technical services (3.6%), Manufacturing (1.5%) and Finance, Insurance, Real estate, Rental and Leasing (1.1%).

 

Employment by Region

Employment gains continue to differ based on the region in October. Urban areas were hit hard, and many are still struggling with high case numbers and unemployment. These areas are seeing the highest employment growth, however. St. Catharine’s and Niagara saw the highest employment gains in October with a 3.1% increase. Toronto followed with a 2.8% increase, then Oshawa (+2.5%), Thunder Bay (+2.1%), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (+1.8%), and Kingston (+1.2%).

 

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

 

Public Holidays in Ontario Employers Should Know About

The holiday season is quickly approaching, and employers might soon have workers asking them which days they get off. There are nine official public holidays in Ontario, in which employees are either entitled to take off or receive paid public holiday pay. Employers can offer additional days off, but here are the public holidays that workers are entitled to have off.

 

Public Holidays

Public holidays, also known as statutory holidays or stat holidays, are national, cultural, and religious holidays that Canada’s government has determined people should be off of work. Some of these vary by province, but in Ontario, there are nine recognized public holidays.

 

  • New Year’s Day (Jan 1)
  • Family Day (Third Monday in Feb.)
  • Good Friday (Friday before Easter)
  • Victoria Day (Second to last Monday in May)
  • Canada Day (July 1)
  • Labour Day (First Monday of Sept)
  • Thanksgiving Day (Second Monday of October)
  • Christmas Day (Dec 25)
  • Boxing Day (Dec 26)

 

Additional Holidays

In addition to the nine official holidays, the country celebrates a few extra holidays. On these days, the majority of businesses close down, and many employers opt to give employees the day off, however, it is not required.

 

These include:

  • Remembrance Day (Nov 11)
  • Civic holiday (First Monday of Aug)
  • Easter Monday (Monday after Easter)

 

Holiday Pay

Not all businesses are able to close down for holidays. When employees are required to work on public holidays, most are eligible for public holiday pay. Employers are responsible for ensuring they are calculating and paying the appropriate amount of holiday pay. Some industries and employees are exempt from holiday pay, and companies should know if their workers are or not.

 

Substitute Holiday

If a business is open only on Monday to Friday and a holiday falls on a weekend, then employers are required to provide an additional day off still. In Ontario, the substitute holiday can be observed either the day before or after the public holiday.

 

Alternatively, if an employee and employer both agree, instead of receiving the public holiday off or accepting public holiday pay, an employee can take a substitute holiday. This is when workers accept another working day off that is designed to replace a public holiday.

 

Have more questions about employment or looking for staffing solutions? Contact us today! Our team of HR experts at Nova Staffing is happy to help you with all of your employment needs.

 

What Makes Nova Staffing the Best Employment Agency

What Makes Nova Staffing the Best Employment Agency- NOVA STAFFING

Nova Staffing just recently celebrated 20 amazing years as a company. During our time, we’ve established ourselves as one of the best employment agencies in the GTA. We were even recently named one of Canada’s Top Growing Companies! So, what exactly makes Nova Staffing so great? Here are a few things that set us apart from other staffing agencies.

 

Experience

There’s an art to finding the right candidates for a job listing, and Nova Staffing is more than skilled at it. Our agency has been around for 20 years, and our team has over 200 years of combined industry experience. This means that we can find quality candidates and week out those that wouldn’t be a good fit. Our experience and ability to find the best employees for the job help save our clients time and money.

 

Industry Knowledge

One thing that makes Nova Staffing one of the best employment agencies in the GTA is our vast industry knowledge. While other agencies may have a hiring niche, we have experience staffing a number of different industries, from offices to work station sanitizers. We even launched Nova Driver Services five years ago to meet the needs of transportation companies looking to hire truck drivers and other delivery employees.

 

Relationships

Having been in the industry for two decades, Nova Staffing has built strong ties to a number of different companies. Some of our clients have been using us for years with satisfaction. Our network of clients means that we’re able to fulfill job positions with quality candidates quickly. We pride ourselves on our relationships, and it’s one thing that sets us above the rest.

 

Languages

Toronto is an amazing city full of people from different backgrounds. We know that employee’s backgrounds and cultures are an asset to companies, and we boast a team that is as diverse as the people we find jobs for. Our team of hiring experts speak English, French, Hindi, Punjabi, Mandarin, Arabic, and Urdu, which allows us to better connect with candidates and clients.

 

Ready to start fulfilling your staffing needs? Contact us today to talk with one of our HR experts! We’re here to help you with staffing solutions and any hiring 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. 

 

5 Benefits of Hiring Temporary Holiday Staff

The holiday season is just around the corner, and now is the time to ask- is your business ready? For many companies, the holidays aren’t only the happiest time of the year, it’s also the busiest. It’s not uncommon for workers to feel more stressed and overworked leading up to the holidays. Hiring temporary holiday workers is a great way to combat this. Here are a few benefits to using holiday employees as a staffing solution.

 

Increased Flexibility

Temporary workers improve flexibility to help with a number of staffing issues, especially during holiday time. From employees taking vacations to increased holiday workload, temp workers can be brought in on short notice to fill any gaps. They can be added where needed for however long your company needs the help. Their short-term contracts also mean you won’t have to deal with a surplus of staff once the holidays are over.

 

Improved Productivity

A stressed employee isn’t usually a productive one. Many businesses face increased demand during the holidays, and that puts a lot of pressure on employees, leaving them less time for each task. By hiring temporary workers to help with the holiday rush, you can improve productivity across the board.

 

Save Money

Has your company ever really looked at the math of hiring a permanent employee? Temporary employees are usually more cost-effective than long-term hires. They typically work on an hourly wage rather than salary and don’t get benefits, bonuses, or other company perks that cost money. Temp employees are a cost-effective solution to increase the holiday workload, especially since they’re typically only needed for a few months.

 

Long-Term Potential

Our HR experts can tell you that one of our client’s best workers started as temporary hires. Many companies find some of their hardest workers by trialing them as temp employees. It allows both the worker and company to see whether it’s a good fit before committing. Using short-term employees is also a great staffing solution while you look for the right person to fill the position.  

 

Keeps Staffing Balanced

One of the biggest benefits of temporary staffing is that it prevents companies from struggling with under or overstaffing. The holidays are a busy time and often require additional workers to get through it all, but once they’re over, you don’t want your company to be bloated with extra workers. You also don’t want to be caught understaffed during this time of year. The holidays fall often mean employees are taking vacation or fall victim to the flu or burn out. Holiday temp workers can help keep your business’s staffing needs balanced.

 

Look for holiday staffing solutions? Our team of hiring experts at Nova Staffing is here to help! As one of the top temp employment agencies in the GTA, we can help find your company qualified candidates to meet your holiday staffing needs. Contact us today to get started!