Quick facts

In June 2018:

  • There were 11.9 million people in Ontario aged 15 years or older
    • 7.6 million (64%) were either working or actively looking for work
    • 7.2 million (61%) were employed and 82% of them had a full-time job
  • Ontario’s unemployment rate was 5.9% (458,200 unemployed people)

Employment increased in June

Employment in Ontario increased by 34,900 in June, following little change in May (1,000).

Chart 1 shows employment in Ontario from January 2013 to June 2018.

Line graph for chart 1 shows employment in Ontario increasing from 6,771,700 in January 2013 to 7,244,400 in June 2018.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0019-01, (seasonally adjusted data).
Download data, chart 1

Full-time vs. part-time

Both full-time (22,400) and part-time (12,600) jobs increased in June.

Employment increase/decrease by age

Youth employment (those aged 15 to 24) increased by 10,900 in June, after decreasing by 9,400 in May.

Employment for people aged 25 to 54 increased by 16,100 in June compared to May and those aged 55 and older gained 8,100 jobs.

Employment in Canada increased by 31,800 in June, after being virtually unchanged in May (7,500).

Unemployment rate increased to 5.9%

Chart 2 shows unemployment rates, Ontario and Canada, January 2013 to June 2018.

Line graph for Chart 2.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0019-01, (seasonally adjusted data).
Download data, chart 2

Ontario’s unemployment rate increased to 5.9% in June, from 5.7% in May.

Canada’s unemployment rate increased to 6.0% after remaining at 5.8% for four consecutive months.

Ontario’s unemployment rate has remained below that of the unemployment rate for Canada for more than three years.

Unemployment rate by age

For people aged 15 to 24, the unemployment rate increased to 12.7% in June, from 11.7% in May. This is because the number of people in the youth labour force grew by more than twice the pace of youth employment.

The unemployment rates for people aged 25 to 54 remained at 4.9% in June compared to May and increased to 4.4% from 4.3% for those aged 55 and older.

Lowest and highest unemployment rates

Chart 3 shows Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) with highest and lowest unemployment rates in Canada, June 2018.

Bar graph for chart 3.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0294-01, (seasonally adjusted data to reduce volatility caused by small sample size).
Download data, chart 3

Barrie recorded the highest unemployment rate in Ontario (6.9%), while St. John’s, Newfoundland recorded the highest unemployment rate in Canada (8.6%).

Peterborough recorded the lowest unemployment rate in Canada in June (2.7%).

Year-over-year comparisons

Over the first six months of 2018, employment in Ontario increased by 95,400 net jobs for adults 25 years and older compared to the first half of 2017.

Employment increase and decrease by education level

Chart 4 shows Ontario employment change by highest level of education attained, aged 25 and older, June 2017 to June 2018, year-to-date.

Bar graph for chart 4.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0019-01, unadjusted data
Download data, chart 4

Adults with a university degree led gainswith 92,300 net new jobs.

Individuals with some postsecondary education (PSE) recorded job gains of 43,000, while employment for those with PSE certificates or diplomas increased by 36,400.

People with less than high school education recorded job losses of 23,200 and those with high school education recorded job losses of 53,200.

Unemployment rate by education level

The unemployment rate for adults aged 25 and older with PSE credentials was 4.1% over the first six months of 2018, down from 4.3% a year earlier.

The unemployment rate for adults without PSE credentials was 6.1%, down from 7.1% compared to the first five months of 2017.

Employment increase and decrease by occupation

Chart 5 shows Ontario employment change by occupation, June 2017 to June 2018, year-to-date.

Bar graph for chart 5.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0296-01, unadjusted data.
Download data, chart 5

Seven of the 10 major occupational groups in Ontario had net employment gains over the first six months of 2018 compared to a year earlier.

Learn more about the National Occupation Classification (NOC) system.

These occupations gained the most jobs:

  • management (96,100)
  • business, finance and administration (74,400)
  • trades, transport and equipment operator and related (15,000)

These occupations lost jobs:

  • health (39,700)
  • sales and service (27,400)
  • art, culture, recreation and sport (14,200)

Long-term unemployment decreased

Chart 6 shows Ontario’s long-term unemployed (27 weeks or more) as a percentage of total unemployment, June 2010 to June 2018, year-to-date.

Bar graph for chart 6.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0056-01, unadjusted data.
Download data, chart 6

Over the first six months of 2018, an average of 73,500 people were long-term unemployed, or unemployed, for 27 weeks or longer. This is down from 94,500 a year earlier.

Long-term unemployed individuals accounted for 16.8% of the total number of unemployed people over the first six months of 2018. This is compared with 19.7% a year earlier.

The percentage of long-term unemployed individuals is still higher compared to the
pre-recession level in June 2008, when 13.3% of all unemployed people were long-term unemployed.

Average time in long-term unemployment

The average time in unemployment decreased to 17.4 weeks over the first six months of 2018 from 19.7 weeks a year earlier.

Download data

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey

June 2018 Labour Market Report:

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