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The latest Statistics Canada local labour market report customized for the Brantford CMA for last month is now available.
- September Unemployment Rate: Brantford 7.0% [=] Ontario 6.9% [-] Canada 6.5% [-]
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 rose by 47,000 (+0.2%) in September while the employment rate declined 0.1 percentage points to 60.7%. The unemployment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 6.5%.
In September, employment rose among youth aged 15 to 24 (+33,000; +1.2%) and core-aged women (25 to 54 years old) (+21,000; +0.3%).
There were more people employed in information, culture and recreation (+22,000; +2.6%), wholesale and retail trade (+22,000; +0.8%) and professional, scientific and technical services (+21,000; +1.1%) in September.
Employment increased in Ontario (+43,000; +0.5%), Quebec (+22,000; +0.5%), Manitoba (+5,100; +0.7%) and Nova Scotia (+3,000; +0.6%) in September, while there were declines in British Columbia (-18,000; -0.6%) and New Brunswick (-4,100; -1.0%).
Total hours worked fell 0.4% in September but were up 1.2% compared with 12 months earlier.
Average hourly wages among employees increased 4.6% (+$1.58 to $35.59) on a year-over-year basis in September, following growth of 5.0% in August (not seasonally adjusted).
Employment rises in September following four months of little change
Employment rose by 47,000 (+0.2%) in September, following four consecutive months of little change. Despite the employment gain, the employment rate—the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who is employed—fell 0.1 percentage points to 60.7% in September.
The employment rate has followed a downward trend since reaching a recent peak of 62.4% in January and February 2023, as growth in the population aged 15 and older in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) outpaced employment growth. On a year-over-year basis, employment was up by 313,000 (+1.5%) in September, while the population aged 15 and older in the LFS was up by 1.2 million (+3.6%).
The number of private sector employees increased for the second consecutive month, rising by 61,000 (+0.5%) in September and bringing the year-over-year increase in private sector employment to 193,000 (+1.5%). Public sector employment fell by 24,000 (-0.5%) in September, but was up 3.0% (+128,000) compared with 12 months earlier. Self-employment was little changed in the month and on a year-over-year basis.
Full-time employment rose by 112,000 (+0.7%) in September, the largest gain since May 2022. The increase in September was partially offset by a decline in part-time work (-65,000; -1.7%). On a year-over-year basis, part-time employment rose at a faster pace (+2.0%; +72,000) than full-time employment (+1.4%; +240,000).
Population totals in the Labour Force Survey and official demographic estimates
On September 25, Statistics Canada announced that the population of Canada had reached an estimated 41,288,599 on July 1, 2024, and had increased by 1,205,115 (+3.0%) over the previous 12 months.
While the Labour Force Survey (LFS) population totals are generally aligned with official demographic estimates, numbers from the two sources should be compared with caution, given the different goals of the programs and because of a number of methodological differences reflecting the objectives of the LFS. Official demographic estimates should be considered the official measure of population change in Canada. More information on how population totals in the LFS are calculated can be found in the article Interpreting population totals from the Labour Force Survey.
Local Top Line
- September Unemployment Rate: Brantford 7.0% [=] Ontario 6.9% [-] Canada 6.5% [-]
- The local unemployment rate remained the same month over month.
- The local labour force contracted by 1,500 month over month.
- The number of employed decreased by 1,300 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 is second highest.
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