Quick facts

In September 2022:

  • There were 12.5 million people in Ontario aged 15 years or older
    • 8.1 million (64.6%) were in the labour force. The labour force decreased in September (−29,900 or −0.4%) compared to August.
    • 7.6 million (60.8%) were employed, down by 31,500 (−0.4%) from August.
  • Ontario’s unemployment rate increased to 5.8% in September from 5.7% in August and 466,300 people were unemployed, up 1,600 (0.3%) from August.

Important note

This report is based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS), a household survey carried out by Statistics Canada. September’s LFS results cover labour market conditions during the week of September 11 to 17.

Employment decreased in September

Employment in Ontario decreased in September by 31,500 (−0.4%) to 7,636,300, after decreasing by 19,200 (−0.2%) in August. This was the fourth consecutive month with a decline in provincial employment.

Employment in Canada rose by 21,100 (0.1%) in September, after decreasing by 39,700 (−0.2%) in August. A total of 19,547,900 people were employed in Canada in September.

Chart 1 shows employment in Ontario from January 2005 to September 2022.

Line graph for chart 1 shows employment in Ontario from January 2005 to September 2022.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0287-01, (seasonally adjusted data).

Download data, chart 1

Full-time vs. part-time

Part-time jobs decreased by 35,000 (−2.6%) in September, while full-time employment increased by 3,500 (0.1%).

Employment change by sex and age

Employment decreased by 30,100 (−0.8%) to 3,602,100 for women in September after decreasing by 7,200 (−0.2%) in August. Employment was little changed (−1,300 or 0.0%) for men, after decreasing by 12,000 (−0.3%) in August. Total male employment was 4,034,300 in September.

Youth (aged 15 to 24) employment decreased by 14,600 (−1.4%) to 1,003,700 in September, after decreasing by 8,000 (−0.8%) in August. Employment for people aged 25 to 54 decreased by 6,700 (−0.1%) to 4,970,400, after declining by 13,300 (−0.3%) in August. Employment for those aged 55 and older decreased by 10,200 (−0.6%) to 1,662,200, following an increase of 2,100 (0.1%) in August.

Employment change by industry

Ontario’s largest industry groups by employment in September include wholesale and retail trade (1,103,500 or 14.5% of total employment), health care and social assistance (921,400 or 12.1%), professional, scientific and technical services (783,200 or 10.3%), manufacturing (763,900 or 10.0%) and finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (670,000 or 8.8%).

Employment declined in ten of the sixteen major industry groups in September. There were notable employment losses in manufacturing (−19,100 or −2.4%), professional, scientific and technical services (−18,500 or −2.3%), wholesale and retail trade (−11,600 or −1.0%) and transportation and warehousing (−4,900 or −1.3%).

Four of the sixteen major industry groups recorded job gains in September. Educational services (16,700 or 3.1%), business, building and other support services (11,700 or 4.0%) and other services, except public administration (1,400 or 0.5%) led job gains.

Employment was little changed in agriculture and health care and social assistance in September.

Chart 2 shows industries by employment change in Ontario, August 2022 to September 2022.

Bar graph for chart 2 shows employment change by industry.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0355-02, (seasonally adjusted data).

Download data, chart 2

Employment change by occupation

Ontario’s largest occupational groups by employment in September included sales and service (1,632,900 or 21.4% of total employment), business, finance and administration (1,284,100 or 16.8%), trades, transport and equipment operators (1,010,000 or 13.2%), management (817,400 or 10.7%) and natural and applied sciences (761,500 or 10.0%).

Nine of the ten major occupational groups in Ontario had net employment gains in the first nine months of 2022 when compared to the same period in 2021. Management (98,500 or 14.5%), sales and service (88,400 or 5.6%), natural and applied sciences (70,700 or 9.8%) and business, finance and administration (41,100 or 3.2%) led job gains.

Employment losses were recorded in art, culture, recreation and sport (−3,700 or −1.7%).

Chart 3 shows occupations by employment change in Ontario, September 2021 (year-to-date) to September 2022 (year-to-date).

Bar graph for chart 2 shows employment change by industry.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0296-01, (data unadjusted for seasonality).

Download data, chart 3

Employment change in urban centres

In September 2022, employment in fourteen of the sixteen Ontario Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) was at or above its September 2021 level, led by Toronto (87,700 or 2.5%) and followed by Ottawa-Gatineau (28,400 or 3.7%), Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (14,600 or 4.6%) and Oshawa (13,500 or 6.4%).

Employment losses were recorded in Thunder Bay (−400 or −0.7%) and Windsor (−100 or −0.1%).

Chart 4 shows employment change for Ontario Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) from September 2021 to September 2022.

Bar graph for chart 4 shows employment change by Ontario Census Metropolitan Area.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0380-01, (seasonally adjusted data three-month moving average to reduce volatility caused by small sample size).

Download data, chart 4

Unemployment rate increased to 5.8%

Chart 5 shows unemployment rates, Ontario and Canada, January 2005 to September 2022.

Line graph for Chart 5 shows unemployment rates in Canada and Ontario from January 2005 to September 2022.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0287-01, (seasonally adjusted data).

Download data, chart 5

Ontario’s unemployment rate was 5.8% in September, up from 5.7% in August. This was the third consecutive month with an increase in the provincial unemployment rate. The unemployment rate has seen steady increases since falling to 5.1% in June. However, September’s unemployment rate was well below the rate from September 2021 (7.5%).

Canada’s unemployment rate was 5.2% in September, down from 5.4% in August and well below the rate from a year ago (7.0%). The national unemployment rate reached a record low of 4.9% in July.

Unemployment rate by sex, age, visible minority status and Indigenous group

The unemployment rate for women increased to 5.9% in September from 5.8% in August. The rate for men remained stable at 5.6% in September.

For individuals aged 15 to 24, the unemployment rate rose to 11.5% in September from 11.4% in August. The unemployment rate for individuals aged 25 to 54 increased to 4.9% in September from 4.8% in August. The unemployment rate for those aged 55 and older decreased to 4.6%, down from 4.7% in August.

In Ontario, the unemployment rate among population groups designated as visible minorities was estimated at 7.4% in September compared to a 5.0% rate for those who are not visible minorities and did not identify as Indigenous (data are three-month moving averages for the population aged 15 years and over and are not adjusted for seasonality).

The unemployment rate for Ontario’s Indigenous population was estimated at 7.6% in September compared to a 5.8% rate for the non-Indigenous population. The Indigenous population includes First Nations people living off reserve (9.0%) and individuals who identify as Métis (5.7%) (data are three-month moving averages for the population aged 15 years and over and are not adjusted for seasonality).

Unemployment rate by urban centre

In September, the average unemployment rate increased from August in thirteen of the sixteen Ontario Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs). The largest increases were seen in Belleville (5.0% in August to 6.5% in September), Windsor (7.5% to 8.6%) and Guelph (3.1% to 3.9%).

Three CMAs had average unemployment rates that decreased from August to September: Peterborough (5.9% in August to 5.5% in September), Barrie (5.0% to 4.6%) and London (6.6% to 6.3%).

Chart 6 shows the average unemployment rate for Ontario Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) in September 2022.

Bar graph for chart 6 shows unemployment rate by Ontario Census Metropolitan Area.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0380-01, (seasonally adjusted data three-month moving average to reduce volatility caused by small sample size).

Download data, chart 6

Long-term unemployment

In September, an estimated 79,000 Ontarians or 16.9% of all unemployed people were unemployed for 27 weeks or longer (long-term unemployed). This compared to 90,000 Ontarians or 19.4% of all unemployed people in August and 173,400 or 28.5% of all unemployed people a year earlier in September 2021. The long-term unemployed share declined by 2.5 percentage points in September after increasing by 3.5 percentage points in August.

The average time in unemployment was 18.6 weeks in September, below the average in August (20.9 weeks) and well below the average in September 2021 (25.1 weeks).

Chart 7 shows Ontario’s long-term unemployment (27 weeks or more) as a percentage of total unemployment, January 2006 to September 2022.

Line graph for Chart 7 shows Ontario’s long-term unemployed (27 weeks or more) as a percentage of total unemployment from January 2006 to September 2022.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0342-01, (seasonally adjusted data).

Download data, chart 7

Spotlight: Average hourly wages by sex, age and industry

Important note

The average hourly wage rates reported in this section have not been adjusted to account for the rate of inflation.

Chart 8 shows average hourly wages rates, Ontario and Canada, January 2015 to September 2022

Line graph for Chart 8 shows average hourly wage rates in Canada and Ontario for employees from January 2015 to September 2022.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0063-01 (data unadjusted for seasonality).

Download data, chart 8

The average hourly wage rate in Ontario for employees was $32.63 in September, above the average rate across Canada ($31.67). Ontario’s average hourly wage rate in September rose by 5.7% on a year-over-year basis (by $1.76 from $30.87 in September 2021), compared with 6.2% in August.

September’s wage growth (5.7%) was lower than the growth seen in the Ontario Consumer Price Index as of August (6.9%). The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of inflation that represents changes in prices for goods and services as experienced by consumers.

The average hourly wage rate was $30.75 for women in September, rising by 5.6% ($1.62) from $29.13 a year ago. For men, the average hourly wage rate was $34.44, an increase of 5.7% ($1.85) from $32.59 in September 2021.

For youth aged 15 to 24, the average hourly wage rate was $19.82 in September, an increase of 5.1% ($0.97) from $18.85 in September 2021. The average hourly wage rate for individuals aged 25 to 54 rose to $35.32 in September, up 6.4% ($2.11) from $33.21 a year ago. The average hourly wage rate for those aged 55 and older increased by 2.6% ($0.83) to $32.82 in September from $31.99 a year earlier.

In September, the industries with the largest increases in average hourly wage rates compared to a year ago were:

  1. Accommodation and food services: +13.2% ($2.27) to $19.51
  2. Professional, scientific and technical services: +11.9% ($4.57) to $42.94
  3. Business, building and other support services: +10.9% ($2.52) to $25.66

Only one industry experienced a decrease in its average hourly wage rate in September compared to a year ago:

  1. Agriculture: −6.4% (−$1.42) to $20.74

Changes in average hourly wages by industry are the result of multiple factors, including wage growth and shifts in the composition of employment by job tenure and occupation.

Download data

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey

September 2022 Labour Market Report:

Open Government Licence Ontario