The local jobless rate fell to 6.5 per cent in October but employment remained unchanged, says the executive director of the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie.
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“Last month’s numbers confirm what we’ve been seeing for months, with the area’s labor pool shrinking, with more discouraged people sitting things out,” Danette Dalton said in a statement released Friday. “This is most noticeable in the increased number of men not in the labor force.”
Dalton said the seasonal nature of some jobs may be a factor, with students returning to school and some construction jobs ending. But there were job losses in other sectors, too.
“Some men may have found jobs outside the area, but only London saw its labor force and employment grow last month without also experiencing job losses,” Dalton said.
Figures provided by Statistics Canada show the local unemployment rate dropped to 6.5 per cent from 7 per cent where it has been for the past two months.
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Nationally, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.5 per cent while Ontario’s rate was 6.8 per cent.
Neighboring communities of Brantford-Brant either saw no or only minor changes to their jobless rates.
Statistics Canada estimated there were 400 fewer people unemployed in the area with 100 more people getting jobs in October. However, 300 were no longer in the work force.
On a more positive note, Dalton said women have seen few job losses and part-time employment has grown with hiring for the Christmas shopping season likely a factor.
Meanwhile, the Grand Erie Jobs online job board recorded almost 1,750 postings in October, identical to September’s figure. The number of companies with postings however dropped 8 per cent.
Job boards operated by other workforce planning boards had similar experiences. There was a 10 per cent drop in the number of companies posting in the Hamilton and London areas, Dalton said.
The planning board is one of 26 non-profit organizations in Ontario playing a leadership role in labor force planning. It is funded, in part, by the federal and provincial governments.
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