Local jobless rate has increased largest in more than a year

The Brantford-Brant jobless rate saw its largest month-over-month increase in more than a year, but other data suggests the swing isn’t as dramatic as it first appears.

Article content

The Brantford area unemployment rate climbed by 0.8 percentage points in June to 5.7 per cent, according to Statistics Canada estimates, which are seasonally adjusted and are determined on a three-month moving average.

Other Statistics Canada data that isn’t seasonally adjusted or averaged out over several months shows that the jobless rate has been gradually increasing and didn’t just have a sudden one-month jump.

Norfolk County’s unadjusted unemployment rate for June was 5.5 per cent, down a full percentage point from May. However, for the three-month period April to June, the average tops six per cent.

Unemployment rates for Ontario and Canada both climbed last month, with the provincial rate hitting seven per cent and the national one reaching 6.4 per cent, continuing a gradual upward trend.

Article content

Both rates have climbed by at least one full percentage point since June 2023, with the Canadian economy unable to create enough new jobs to accommodate an influx of people into the labour market.

“What we’re seeing in our local area with more people looking for and unable to find work, leading to a gradual increase in unemployment, is happening all around us and across the country,” said Danette Dalton, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie.

“We know from talking with employers, community partners and local government that many businesses have tightened up hiring. And when they do have a position, they often get hundreds of applications.”

Dalton said the planning board is currently surveying employers and workers separately to better understand their challenges, including whether there’s a skills mismatch contributing to employment barriers.

Article content

“Having local businesses complete our EmployerOne survey and having workers and job seekers do our new Workforce Skills and Training survey helps us get a fuller picture of the local job market,” she said.

On the planning board’s Grand Erie Jobs online job website, five per cent fewer employers were looking to hire in June. But the number of new jobs that appeared remained at about 2,200, led by nurses and retail salespersons.

The Workforce Planning Board is one of 26 non-profit organizations in Ontario that play a leadership role in labour force planning. It is funded in part by the federal and provincial governments.

Article content