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The latest Statistics Canada local labour market report customized for the Brantford CMA for last month is now available.
- January Unemployment Rate: Brantford 5.0% [-] Ontario 7.6% [+] Canada 6.6% [-]
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 76,000 (+0.4%) in January and the employment rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 61.1%. The unemployment rate declined 0.1 percentage points to 6.6%.
In January, employment increased for youth aged 15 to 24 (+31,000; +1.1%), as well as for women (+36,000; +0.5%) and men (+28,000; +0.4%) in the core working age group of 25 to 54 years old.
Employment gains in January were led by manufacturing (+33,000; +1.8%) and professional, scientific and technical services (+22,000; +1.1%).
Employment rose in Ontario (+39,000; +0.5%), British Columbia (+23,000; +0.8%), and New Brunswick (+2,900; +0.7%) and was little changed in the other provinces in January.
Average hourly wages were up 3.5% (+$1.23 to $35.99) on a year-over-year basis (not seasonally adjusted). This followed year-over-year growth of 4.0% in December.
Total actual hours worked rose 0.9% in January and were up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis.
Employment increases for the third consecutive month in January
Employment rose by 76,000 (+0.4%) in January, following increases in December (+91,000; +0.4%) and November (+44,000; +0.2%). Over this three-month period, there were increases both in full-time work (+147,000; +0.9%) and part-time work (+64,000; +1.7%).
The employment rate—the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who are employed—increased 0.1 percentage points to 61.1% in January, marking the third consecutive monthly increase. These recent increases follow a period in which employment growth had been outpaced by population growth, resulting in the employment rate declining 1.7 percentage points from April 2023 to October 2024.The number of employees in the private sector increased by 57,000 (+0.4%) in January, building on an increase in December (+39,000; +0.3%). This brought year-over-year growth for private sector employment to 215,000 (+1.6%).
Employment in the public sector was little changed in January but was up 107,000 (+2.4%) compared with 12 months earlier. The number of self-employed people rose by 27,000 (+1.0%) in January and was up 94,000 (+3.6%) on a year-over-year basis.
Employment rises among core-aged men and women as well as youth
Employment growth in January was concentrated among people in the core working age group (25 to 54 years old), with increases both for women (+36,000; +0.5%) and men (+28,000; +0.4%) in this age group.
For core-aged men, this was the third consecutive month of employment growth, bringing cumulative gains since October to 90,000 (+1.3%). For core-aged women, the employment increase in January was the first since August.
Employment rates also increased both for core-aged women (+0.3 percentage points to 80.4%) and men (+0.2 percentage points to 86.8%) in January.
Employment for youth aged 15 to 24 increased by 31,000 (+1.1%) in January, led by gains among young men (+25,000; +1.8%). The employment rate among youth increased by 0.6 percentage points to 54.5% in January, the first increase since April 2024.
Among men aged 55 and older, employment fell by 20,000 (-0.8%) in January, partially offsetting a gain in the previous month (+35,000; +1.5%). Employment for women aged 55 and older was little changed in the month.
Unemployment rate ticks down to 6.6%
The unemployment rate declined 0.1 percentage points to 6.6% in January, marking the second consecutive monthly decline from a recent peak of 6.9% in November 2024. The unemployment rate had previously increased 1.9 percentage points from March 2023 to November 2024, as labour market conditions cooled after a period of low unemployment rates and high job vacancies following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The total number of unemployed people was little changed at 1.5 million in January but was up by 251,000 (+20.2%) from a year earlier. Among those who were unemployed in December, 65.4% remained unemployed in January, higher than the corresponding proportion in January 2024 (61.7%) (not seasonally adjusted). This indicates that many unemployed people are facing continued difficulties finding employment, despite recent employment growth.
Local Top Line
- January Unemployment Rate: Brantford 5.0% [-] Ontario 7.6% [+] Canada 6.6% [-]
- The local unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 month over month.
- The local labour force contracted by 600 month over month.
- The number of employed decreased by 500 month over month.
- The number of unemployed decreased by 100 month over month.
- When compared to the surrounding CMAs of Hamilton, Niagara, Waterloo, Guelph, and London, Brantford’s unemployment rate remains the lowest.
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