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Monthly Labour Market Update Graphic

The latest Statistics Canada local labour market report customized for the Brantford CMA for last month is now available.

August Unemployment Rate: Brantford 3.8% [+] Ontario 5.7% [+] Canada 5.4% [+]

Be sure to review the participation rate and the employment rate (reported as percentages), as well as the labour force, the employed, and the unemployed values (reported as absolute numbers). These give a better picture of changes in the market.

Labour Market Report

The report includes annual rates for the last 10 years, comparing Brantford to surrounding CMAs as well as the provincial and national levels.

Overview from Statistics Canada

Employment declined by 40,000 (-0.2%) in August, and the unemployment rate rose by 0.5 percentage points to 5.4%.

Employment fell among youth aged 15 to 24 in August, primarily young women, as well as among people aged 55 to 64.

Employment gains in various industries, including "other services" and professional, scientific, and technical services, were more than offset by declines in educational services and construction.

There were fewer public-sector employees in August, while the number of employees in the private sector and the number of self-employed workers held steady.

Employment fell in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia, while it increased in Quebec. There was little change in the other provinces.

Total hours worked were unchanged in August, following a decline in July (-0.5%). On a year-over-year basis, total hours worked were up 3.7%.

The average hourly wages of employees rose 5.4% (+$1.60 to $31.33) on a year-over-year basis in August, compared with 5.2% in both June and July (not seasonally adjusted).

In August, more than 1 in 10 (11.9%) permanent employees were planning to leave their job within the next 12 months, 5.5 percentage points higher than in January 2022 (not seasonally adjusted).

There were 307,000 Canadians in August who had left their job in order to retire at some point in the last year, up from 233,000 one year earlier and from 273,000 in August 2019 (not seasonally adjusted).

The unemployment rate for immigrants who had arrived in Canada within the past five years was lower in August 2022 (7.6%) than in any month of August since comparable data became available in 2006 (three-month moving average, not seasonally adjusted).

Employment down in August

Employment decreased by 40,000 (-0.2%) in August, bringing cumulative declines since May 2022 to 114,000 (-0.6%).

Employment fell among youth aged 15 to 24 in August (-25,000; -0.9%), primarily among young women, as well as among people aged 55 to 64 (-34,000; -1.0%). It was little changed among those aged 25 to 54.

Employment gains in various industries, including "other services" (+15,000; +2.2%) and professional, scientific, and technical services (+14,000; +0.8%), were more than offset by declines in educational services (-50,000; -3.3%) and construction (-28,000; -1.8%).

There were fewer public-sector employees in August (-28,000; -0.6%), while the number of employees in the private sector and the number of self-employed workers held steady.

Employment fell in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia, while it increased in Quebec. There was little change in the other provinces.

Total hours worked were unchanged in August.

The average hourly wages of employees rose 5.4% (+$1.60 to $31.33) on a year-over-year basis in August, compared with 5.2% in both June and July (not seasonally adjusted).

Unemployment rate rises for the first time in seven months

The unemployment rate was 5.4% in August, up 0.5 percentage points from the record low of 4.9% observed in June and July.

The adjusted unemployment rate—which includes people who wanted a job but did not look for one—rose 0.5 percentage points to 7.3% in August, due to the rise in the number of unemployed.

In the Spotlight

In August, more than 1 in 10 (11.9%) permanent employees were planning to leave their job within the next 12 months, 5.5 percentage points higher than in January 2022 (not seasonally adjusted).

There were 307,000 Canadians in August who had left their job in order to retire at some point in the last year, up from 233,000 one year earlier and from 273,000 in August 2019 (not seasonally adjusted).

The unemployment rate for immigrants who had arrived in Canada within the past five years was lower in August 2022 (7.6%) than in any month of August since comparable data became available in 2006 (three-month moving average, not seasonally adjusted).

Local Top Line

  • August Unemployment Rate: Brantford 3.8% [+] Ontario 5.7% [+] Canada 5.4% [+]
  • The local unemployment rate increased by 0.4 month over month.
  • The local labour force expanded by 1,700 month over month.
  • The number of employed increased by 1,300 month over month.
  • The number of unemployed increased by 400 month over month.
  • When compared to the surrounding CMAs of Hamilton, Niagara, Waterloo, Guelph, and London, Brantford’s unemployment rate is second lowest.

Note:  Brantford's unemployment reflects a 3 month moving average, whereas Ontario and Canada are monthly figures.  The sample CMA breakdown for Brantford area is detailed in text at the Stats Canada website:  http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p3VD.pl?Function=getVD&TVD=117159&CVD=117161&CPV=543&CST=01012011&CLV=2&MLV=3