Back to Search
The latest Statistics Canada local labour market report customized for the Brantford CMA for last month is now available.
- January Unemployment Rate: Brantford 4.9% [+] Ontario 6.2% [-] Canada 5.7% [-]
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.
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
- Visit the Statistics Canada page for full information.
Employment increased by 37,000 in January, following three months of little change. The employment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 61.6%, as population growth (+0.4%) outpaced employment growth (+0.2%).
The unemployment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 5.7%, the first decline since December 2022.
The participation rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 65.3% in January 2024, as the number of people in the labour force held steady and the population aged 15 and older rose.
Employment increased in Ontario (+24,000; +0.3%), Newfoundland and Labrador (+7,500; +3.2%), Manitoba (+6,900; +1.0%) and Nova Scotia (+3,700; +0.7%). It declined in Saskatchewan (-6,200; -1.0%).
There were employment gains spread across several industries in the services-producing sector, led by wholesale and retail trade (+31,000; +1.1%) as well as finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (+28,000; +2.1%). There were declines in other industries, led by accommodation and food services (-30,000; -2.7%).
Total hours worked in January rose 1.1% from one year earlier and were up 0.6% in the month.
Average hourly wages among employees rose 5.3% on a year-over-year basis in January (+$1.74 to $34.75), following an increase of 5.4% in December 2023.
Employment rate declines for the fourth consecutive month
Following three months of little change, employment rose by 37,000 (+0.2%) in January 2024, driven by an increase in part-time work (+49,000; +1.3%).
The employment rate—the proportion of the working-age population that is employed—fell to 61.6% (-0.1 percentage points) in January, the fourth consecutive monthly decline, as the population aged 15 and older in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) grew by 126,000 (+0.4%) in the month. On a year-over-year basis, employment rose by 345,000 (+1.7%), while the working-age population, driven by permanent and temporary immigration, rose by 1.0 million (+3.1%), pushing the employment rate down 0.8 percentage points.
Following two months of little change, employment rose by 48,000 (+1.1%) among public sector employees in January. It was little changed in the month for private sector employees and self-employed workers. On a year-over-year basis, employment was up 4.1% for public sector employees (+174,000), up 1.6% for private sector employees (+210,000) and little changed for self-employed workers.
Local Top Line
- January Unemployment Rate: Brantford 4.9% [+] Ontario 6.2% [-] Canada 5.7% [-]
- The local unemployment rate increased by 0.6 month over month.
- The local labour force expanded by 1,500 month over month.
- The number of employed increased by 1,000 month over month.
- The number of unemployed increased by 600 month over month.
- When compared to the surrounding CMAs of Hamilton, Niagara, Waterloo, Guelph, and London, Brantford’s unemployment rate is second lowest.
Subscribe to this Page
Subscribe to News