Labour market report, October 2018
Employment in Ontario was little changed in October. Get the details in this report.
Quick facts
In October 2018:
- There were 12.0 million people in Ontario aged 15 years or older.
- 7.7 million (64%) were either working or actively looking for work
- 7.3 million (61%) were employed and 81% of them had a full-time job
- Ontario’s unemployment rate was 5.6% (430,400 unemployed people).
Employment little changed in October
Employment in Ontario was little changed in October (+2,500), following an increase of 36,100 jobs in September.
Chart 1 shows employment in Ontario from January 2013 to October 2018.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0019-01, (seasonally adjusted data).
Full-time vs. part-time
Part-time jobs increased (7,500), while full-time employment declined (5,000).
So far in 2018, full-time employment is up by 137,900 compared to the same period in 2017.
Part-time employment is lower (18,900).
Employment increase/decrease by age
Youth employment (those aged 15 to 24) declined by 31,800 in October, following an increase of 6,900 in September.
Employment for people aged 25 to 54 increased by 25,100 in October compared to September and those aged 55 and older gained 9,300 jobs.
Employment in Canada was little changed in October (11,200), after increasing by 63,300 in September.
Unemployment rate declined to 5.6%
Chart 2 shows unemployment rates, Ontario and Canada, January 2013 to October 2018.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0019-01, (seasonally adjusted data).
Ontario’s unemployment rate decreased to 5.6% in October from 5.9% in September, as fewer people were looking for work. Ontario’s unemployment rate has remained below 6.0% since August 2017.
Canada’s unemployment rate was 5.8% in October, down from 5.9% in September.
Unemployment rate by age
For people aged 15 to 24, the unemployment rate was unchanged in October compared to September (12.2%) as fewer youth were in the labour force (-36,700).
The unemployment rates for people aged 25 to 54 declined to 4.8% in October from 5.0% in September and to 3.7% from 4.2% 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, October 2018.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0294-01, (seasonally adjusted data to reduce volatility caused by small sample size).
St. Catharines-Niagara recorded the highest unemployment rate in Ontario (7.3%) in October, while St. John’s, Newfoundland recorded the highest unemployment rate in Canada (9.0%).
Guelph recorded the lowest unemployment rate in Canada in October (3.3%).
Year-over-year comparisons
Over the first ten months of 2018, employment in Ontario increased by 102,900 net jobs for adults 25 years and older compared to the first ten months 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, October 2017 to October 2018, year-to-date.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0019-01, unadjusted data
Adults with a university degree led gains, with 103,500 net new jobs.
Individuals with some postsecondary education recorded job gains of 30,300, while employment for those with certificates or diplomas increased by 48,100.
People with less than high school education recorded job losses of 27,400 and those with high school education recorded job losses of 55,300.
Unemployment rate by education level
The unemployment rate for adults aged 25 and older with postsecondary education credentials was 4.3% over the first ten months of 2018, down from 4.4% a year earlier.
The unemployment rate for adults without postsecondary education credentials was 5.8%, down from 6.6% compared to the first ten months of 2017.
Employment increase and decrease by occupation
Chart 5 shows Ontario employment change by occupation, October 2017 to October 2018, year-to-date.
Learn more about the National Occupation Classification NOC system.
These occupations gained the most jobs:
- business, finance and administration (66,600)
- management (49,200)
- trades, transport and equipment operators and related (33,600)
These occupations lost the most jobs:
- health (29,900)
- sales and service (17,300)
- art, culture, recreation and sport (7,500)
Long-term unemployment decreased
Chart 6 shows Ontario’s long-term unemployed (27 weeks or more) as a percentage of total unemployment, October 2010 to October 2018, year-to-date.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0056-01, unadjusted data.
Over the first ten months of 2018, an average of 74,400 people were long-term unemployed, or unemployed for 27 weeks or longer. This was down from 89,500 a year earlier.
Long-term unemployed individuals accounted for 16.8% of the total number of unemployed people over the first ten months of 2018. This compared with 19.2% a year earlier.
The percentage of long-term unemployed individuals is still higher compared with the pre-recession level in October 2008, when 13.5% of all unemployed people were long-term unemployed.
Average time in long-term unemployment
The average time in unemployment decreased to 17.2 weeks over the first ten months of 2018 from 19.2 weeks a year earlier.
Download data
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey
October 2018 Labour Market Report:
- CSV, Chart 1, employment in Ontario from January 2013 to October 2018, 1Kb
- CSV, Chart 2 unemployment rates, Ontario and Canada, January 2013 to October 2018, 2Kb
- CSV, Chart 3 Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) highest and lowest unemployment rates, 2Kb
- CSV, Chart 4, Ontario employment change by highest level of education, aged 25 and older, 99Kb
- CSV, Chart 5, Ontario employment change by occupation 12Kb
- CSV, Chart 6, Ontario’s long-term unemployed, 15Kb