Windsor’s unemployment rate drops 1.2% in October

Article content

The Windsor region’s unemployment rate dropped 1.2 percent in October, but the community continues to have the highest rate in Canada.

Article content

Windsor’s rate dropped to 9.2 percent last month as there were 2,200 fewer unemployed people. The news was positive across southern Ontario, as London’s rate also fell 0.6 percent to 6.7 with 1,800 fewer unemployed.

The national unemployment rate fell 0.2 percent to 6.7, while Ontario’s rate fell 0.3 percent to 7.0.

We need to deepen our talent pool with so many unfilled jobs

“It’s good to see the numbers going in the right direction,” said Rakesh Naidu, executive director of the Windsor-Essex County Regional Chamber of Commerce.

“As we continue to see restrictions loosen and the economy opens up, I think we will see more positive numbers in the future as we enter one of the busiest seasons for business.

“I am definitely more optimistic about the next few months.”

Windsor also managed to close the gap in the unemployment rate compared to the rest of the country in October.

Article content

The next highest rate in Canada was Toronto’s 8.4 percent.

Falconer said there was also a big increase in the number of local jobs.

There were 3,400 more people working last month despite 2,800 more returning to the workforce looking for work.

The 168,000 people employed is the highest number in two years.

“People were not just getting back into the workforce, they were finding work,” said Workforce WindsorEssex CEO Justin Falconer, noting that the 17,100 unemployed is the lowest number in more than a year.

“These are exactly the kind of numbers we want to see. We are below double digits for the first time in a while. “

Other positive local figures in the Statistics Canada Workforce Survey released on Friday saw the local workforce participation rate rise 0.4 percent to 60.8, while the employment rate jumped 1.1 percent to 55.2.

Article content

The national participation rate is 65.3% and the employment rate is 61%.

If Stellantis can continue to find the microchips to keep its Windsor assembly plant operational and if more people are expected to re-enter the workforce in order to take advantage of the pandemic last month, Falconer expects continued improvement in the Windsor figures.

There are currently a record number of open positions in the community.

“We had 7,171 job offers last month,” Falconer said. “That’s an 18 percent increase from September, and posts for that month were also a record.”

Falconer said there were job openings from 2,147 companies in October.

The retail and healthcare / social services sectors saw ad growth with 1,018 and 635, respectively.

Article content

The professional, scientific and technical services sector had more than double the number of new jobs with 97. That sector has almost doubled in size since 2019 with 10,100 people employed.

“Those (professional, scientific, technical services) involve a lot of growth and have side effects due to the nature of their work,” Falconer said.

“Hiring an engineer generally means building something or doing something.”

Naidu said that going forward, he will be intrigued to see the impact of clogged supply chains, the increase in the minimum wage on January 1, the end of pandemic supports and, hopefully, the termination of PCR testing in the border.

“I think with the end of the supports, you will see more people enter the workforce,” Naidu said. “We need to deepen our talent pool with so many unfilled jobs.”

Naidu said there is some concern that the $ 15 minimum wage could have a chilling effect on hiring and retention.

“We won’t see the impact of that until February and March,” he said.

[email protected]
twitter.com/winstarwaddell