Brantford-Brant jobless rate remains below provincial and national figures

BRANTFORD (August 9, 2024)

– Brantford-Brant jobless rate maintained its upward trend in July, but remains lower than most surrounding regions.

The Brantford area unemployment rate climbed 0.3 percentage points in July - to 6% - according to Statistics Canada’s seasonally adjusted figures released Friday.

The national jobless rate remained unchanged at 6.4% in July, while Ontario’s shrunk to 6.7%.

In labour markets around Brantford, only Guelph saw a lower unemployment rate – 3.9% - last month

Locally, job losses were concentrated in the manufacturing and educational services sectors, both of which have decreased consistently over the last 6 months Employment continued to grow in several other sectors, including business, building and other support services, healthcare and social assistance, and accommodation and food services.

“Employers across Grand Erie have slowed down on hiring, especially for part-time roles,” said Danette Dalton, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie

“As a result, we are seeing fewer opportunities for youth and older workers to participate in the workforce. Compared to July 2023, there were roughly 4000 fewer youth, and another 4000 fewer people aged 55+, in employment.”

“We need to find ways to engage individuals that are unable to find suitable work, and this involves meeting them where they are at with their skill development needs.”

The Workforce Planning Board is one of 26 non-profit organizations in Ontario that play a leadership role in labour force planning. The Workforce Planning Board is funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.

Through surveying both businesses and workers, the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie aims to identify opportunities to bridge workforce gaps Local residents are encouraged to complete the Workforce Skills and Training Survey, and employers are encouraged to complete the EmployerOne survey, both available on the planning board’s website: www.workforceplannningboard.o rg

About 1,500 employers in Grand Erie were looking to hire in July, unchanged from June, according to Grand Erie Jobs, the planning board’s community online job board. However, actual postings decreased by 8% month over month.