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The latest Statistics Canada local labour market report customized for the Brantford CMA for last month is now available.
- May Unemployment Rate: Brantford 4.9% [-] Ontario 6.7% [-] Canada 6.2% [+]
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 May (+27,000; +0.1%) and the employment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 61.3%.
The unemployment rate was 6.2% in May, up 0.1 percentage points in the month and 0.9 percentage points on a year-over-year basis.
Employment was up for young women aged 15 to 24 (+48,000; +3.7%) and for women aged 55 and older (+21,000; +1.1%) in May. At the same time, employment declined among core-aged women (aged 25 to 54) (-40,000; -0.6%) and young men (-23,000; -1.6%).
Employment rose in May in health care and social assistance (+30,000; +1.1%), finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (+29,000; +2.0%), business, building and other support services (+19,000; +2.7%), as well as accommodation and food services (+13,000; +1.1%). It declined in construction (-30,000; -1.9%), transportation and warehousing (-21,000; -1.9%) and utilities (-5,400; -3.5%).
Employment increased in May in Ontario (+50,000; +0.6%), Manitoba (+7,800; +1.1%), and Saskatchewan (+5,400 +0.9%), while there were declines in Alberta (-20,000; -0.8%), Newfoundland and Labrador (-2,100; -0.9%) and Prince Edward Island (-1,100; -1.2%). There was little change in the remaining provinces.
Total hours worked were unchanged in May and were up 1.6% compared with 12 months earlier.
Average hourly wages among employees increased 5.1% (+$1.69 to $34.94) on a year-over-year basis in May, following growth of 4.7% in April (not seasonally adjusted).
The employment rate of returning students aged 20 to 24 was 61.0% in May, 2.9 percentage points lower than in May 2023 (63.9%) (not seasonally adjusted).
Employment holds steady in May following an increase in April
The total number of employed people was little changed in May (+27,000; +0.1%), following an increase of 90,000 (+0.4%) in April. On a year-over-year basis, employment was up by 402,000 (+2.0%) in May.
Part-time employment rose by 62,000 (+1.7%) in May, while full-time employment edged down (-36,000; -0.2%). On a year-over-year basis, part-time employment (+3.8%; +140,000) rose at a faster pace compared with full-time employment (+1.6%; +263,000).
The employment rate—the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who are employed—declined 0.1 percentage points to 61.3% in May, the seventh decrease in the past eight months. Compared with its recent high of 62.4% reached in January and February 2023, the employment rate has fallen 1.1 percentage points, as population growth outpaced employment growth.
More people working part-time hours in their main job
While many workers in Canada work part-time (defined as working fewer than 30 hours per week) as a matter of choice, others do so involuntarily. Increases in the involuntary part-time rate can occur as a result of business or economic conditions, and may be an indicator of underemployment.
The involuntary part-time rate—the proportion of part-time workers who could not find a full-time job or who worked part-time due to poor business conditions—was 18.2% in May, up from 15.4% observed 12 months earlier.
In May, the proportion of involuntary part-time workers was up on a year-over-year basis among certain demographic groups. It was up 2.9 percentage points to 22.6% among women aged 25 to 54, and up 2.4 percentage points to 10.4% among women aged 55 and older. In addition, a greater share of young men (aged 15 to 24) worked part-time involuntarily in May (17.7%), an increase of 5.6 percentage points compared with May 2023 (not seasonally adjusted).
Local Top Line
- May Unemployment Rate: Brantford 4.9% [-] Ontario 6.7% [-] Canada 6.2% [+]
- The local unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 month over month.
- The local labour force expanded by 600 month over month.
- The number of employed increased by 700 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 second lowest.
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