Jobless rate in Brantford area drops in October and stays lower than provincial rate

BRANTFORD (Nov. 8, 2024) – The Brantford area’s jobless rate dropped in October, though employment stayed virtually unchanged.

After sitting at 7% for two months, Brantford-Brant’s unemployment rate fell in October to 6 5%, an estimate from Statistics Canada that is seasonally adjusted and based on a survey of area households.

Canada’s national unemployment rate was unchanged at 6 5%, with only 15,000 new jobs added, while Ontario’s jobless rate stood at 6.8%.

Communities surrounding BrantfordBrant also saw no change or only minor changes to their unemployment rates

Locally, Statistics Canada estimated there were 400 fewer people unemployed, with 100 more people becoming employed and 300 no longer in the labour force

“Last month’s numbers confirm what we’ve been seeing for months, with the area’s labour pool shrinking, with more discouraged people sitting things out,” said Danette Dalton, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie “This is most noticeable in the increased number of men not in the labour force.”

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 Dalton added that the seasonal nature of some jobs may be a factor, with students returning to school and some construction jobs ending. But there were job losses in other sectors, too

“Some men may have found jobs outside the area, but only London saw its labour force and employment grow last month without also experiencing job losses.”

On a more positive note, Dalton said women have seen fewer job losses and part-time employment has grown, with hiring for the Christmas shopping season a likely factor. The Grand Erie Jobs online job board recorded almost 1,750 postings in October, identical to September However, the number of companies with postings dropped 8%.

Job boards operated by other workforce planning boards have seen the same thing There was a 10% drop in the number of companies posting in the Hamilton and London areas.

Try a Trade graduates!

The Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie was delighted to congratulate the 3rd cohort of ‘Try a Trade’ students on their recent graduation from the program. ‘Try a Trade’ provides students with an introduction to the world of mechatronics including machining, electrical and fabrication trades. Partnering with the Six Nations Polytechnic and the CWB Welding Foundation, the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie committed to offering four cohorts of 12 people each. This is the third of four cohorts. Find out more about the program here