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The latest Statistics Canada local labour market report customized for the Brantford CMA for last month is now available.
- March Unemployment Rate: Brantford 4.9% [=] Ontario 6.7% [+] Canada 6.1% [+]
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 was little changed in March (-2,200; -0.0%) and the employment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 61.4%.
The unemployment rate rose 0.3 percentage points to 6.1% in March. On a year-over-year basis, the unemployment rate was up by 1.0 percentage points.
In March, employment declined among youth aged 15 to 24 (-28,000; -1.0%), while it rose among core-aged men (aged 25 to 54) (+20,000; +0.3%). Employment was little changed among core-aged women, as well as among women and men aged 55 and older.
There were fewer people employed in accommodation and food services (-27,000; -2.4%), wholesale and retail trade (-23,000; -0.8%) and professional, scientific and technical services (-20,000; -1.0%) in March. Employment increased in four industries, led by health care and social assistance (+40,000; +1.5%).
Employment decreased in Quebec (-18,000; -0.4%), Saskatchewan (-6,000; -1.0%) and Manitoba (-4,300; -0.6%) in March, while it increased in Ontario (+26,000; +0.3%).
Total hours worked in March were virtually unchanged in the month but were up 0.7% compared with 12 months earlier.
Average hourly wages among employees rose 5.1% (+$1.69 to $34.81) on a year-over-year basis in March, following growth of 5.0% in February (not seasonally adjusted).
Employment rate falls for sixth consecutive month
Employment was virtually unchanged in March (-2,200; -0.0%), following increases in February (+41,000; +0.2%) and January (+37,000; +0.2%). The employment rate—the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who are employed—declined by 0.1 percentage points to 61.4% in March, the sixth consecutive monthly decrease.
From March 2023 to March 2024, the employment rate has decreased by 0.9 percentage points, as employment growth (+324,000; +1.6%) has been outpaced by growth in the population aged 15 and older in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) (+1.0 million; +3.2%). On March 27, 2024, Statistics Canada reported that Canada's population had increased at an annual rate of 3.2% as of January 1, 2024, the fastest annual growth rate since 1957.
Private sector employment was little changed for a fourth consecutive month in March and has held steady for eight of the nine months since June 2023. Public sector employment was also little changed in March 2024. From March 2023 to March 2024, employment has grown at a faster rate in the public sector (+4.8%; +202,000) than in the private sector (+1.1%; +141,000).
Self-employment fell by 29,000 (-1.1%) in March, partly offsetting an increase of 38,000 (+1.5%) in February. On a year-over-year basis, self-employment was little changed in March.
Local Top Line
- March Unemployment Rate: Brantford 4.9% [=] Ontario 6.7% [+] Canada 6.1% [+]
- The local unemployment rate remained the same month over month.
- The local labour force expanded by 400 month over month.
- The number of employed increased by 400 month over month.
- The number of unemployed did not change month over month.
- When compared to the surrounding CMAs of Hamilton, Niagara, Waterloo, Guelph, and London, Brantford’s unemployment rate is second lowest.
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