Labour market report, March 2017
Employment in Ontario decreased in March. Get the details in this report.
Quick facts
In March 2017, there were 11.6 million people in Ontario aged 15 years or older, 7.6 million, or 65%, were either working or actively looking for work. Of the 11.6 million, 7.1 million were employed and 81% of them had a full time job.
Ontario’s unemployment rate was 6.4%, with 482,600 people unemployed.
Employment decreased in March
Chart 1 shows employment in Ontario from January 2012 to March 2017.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 282-0087, (seasonally adjusted data).
Employment in Ontario fell by 11,200 jobs in March, following an increase of 4,600 jobs in February. For Canada overall, employment rose by 19,400 jobs in March, following a 15,300 gain in February.
Full-time vs. part-time
Full time employment increased by 11,300 jobs and part time employment fell by 22,500 jobs.
Employment increase/decrease by age
People ages 25 to 54 recorded jobs gains of 1,000, and those aged 55 years and older recorded 500 jobs gains.
Youth employment, ages 15 to 24 years, decreased in March by 12,700 jobs, after recording an increase of 7,500 jobs in February.
Unemployment rate increased to 6.4%
Chart 2 shows unemployment rates, Ontario and Canada, January 2012 to March 2017
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 282-0087, (seasonally adjusted data).
Ontario’s unemployment rate increased to 6.4% in March, up from 6.2% in February. The unemployment rate has been below 6.5% for six months. Canada’s unemployment rate rose to 6.7% in March, from 6.6% in February.
Rise in youth unemployment rate
The youth unemployment rate rose to 14.8% in March, from 13.9% in February.
Unemployment rate for adults
The unemployment rate for people ages 25 to 54 years increased to 5.0% in March, from 4.9% in February. The unemployment rate for those 55 and older increased to 4.9%, from 4.8% in February.
Lowest and highest unemployment rates
Chart 3 shows Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) with highest and lowest unemployment rates in Canada, March 2017.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 282-0135, (seasonally adjusted, 3-month moving average data to reduce volatility caused by small sample size).
In March, Brantford, a city in southwestern, had the lowest unemployment rate in Ontario, at 4.7%. Nationally, the lowest unemployment rate was in Victoria, British Columbia, at 3.8%.
Not shown in the graph, Greater Sudbury, in northeastern Ontario, had the highest unemployment rate in March at 7.4%, while Calgary recorded the highest unemployment rate nationally at 9.3%.
Year-over-year comparisons
Employment increase and decrease by education level
In the first three months of 2017, employment increased by an estimated 92,800 for adults 25 years and older compared to the first three months of 2016:
- People with a high school level education led gains, with 80,400 net new jobs.
- Individuals with a university degree recorded job gains of 38,900, while those with a postsecondary education (PSE) certificate or diploma gained 3,400 jobs.
- People with less than high school education and those with some PSE recorded job losses of 16,500 and 13,500, respectively.
Chart 4 shows Ontario employment change by highest level of educational attainment, aged 25 and older, change between March 2016 and March 2017, year-to-date.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 282-0003, (unadjusted data).
Unemployment rate by education level
The unemployment rate for adults 25 years and older with PSE credentials was 4.5% over the first three months of 2017, down from 5.1% a year earlier.
The unemployment rate for adults without PSE credentials was 7.2%, down from 7.8% a year earlier.
People with less than high school education lost 16,500 jobs. Those with some high school education gained 80, 400 jobs.
People with some post-secondary education lost 13,500 jobs. Those with certificates or diplomas gained 3,400 jobs. University graduates gained 38,900.
Employment increase and decrease by occupation
Chart 5 shows Ontario employment growth by occupation, between March 2016 and March 2017, year-to-date.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Forces Survey, Table 282-0041, (unadjusted data).
Seven of the ten major occupational groups in Ontario recorded employment growth over the first five months of 2017 compared to a year earlier.
Learn more about the National Occupation Classification (NOC) system.
The largest job gains were in:
- Health (48,900)
- Trades, transport and equipment operators and related (37,200)
- Sales and service (29,500)
These occupations lost jobs:
- Business, finance and administration (31,300)
- Education, law and social, community and government services (23,800)
- Natural resources, agriculture and related production (6,100)
Long-term unemployment percentage increase
Chart 6 shows Ontario’s long-term unemployed (27 weeks or more) as a share of total unemployment, March 2009 to March 2017, year-to-date.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 282-0047, (unadjusted data).
Over the first three months of 2017, an estimated 98,900 people were unemployed for 27 weeks or more, or in long-term unemployment. This was down from 100,700 in the first three months of 2016 and well above pre-recessionary levels.
Long-term unemployed individuals accounted for 20.3% of the total number of unemployed people in the first three months of 2017. This compared with 19.7% a year earlier and 12.7% in the first three months of 2009.
Average time in long-term unemployment
The average time in long-term unemployment increased to 20.3 weeks over the first three months of 2017 from 19.5 weeks a year earlier.