Vol 3, Issue 3, March 18, 2021
Hamilton's Labour Market Connection
Your weekly news & updates from WPH!
In this week's edition: Hamilton scenario planning project launched; Covid pushing people to differing jobs; Canadian economy adds over 250,000 jobs in February; Hamilton local labour market plan; Hamilton LMI February 2021
Hamilton's Scenario Planning Partnership Project
Workforce Planning West is comprised of the nine Workforce Planning Boards operating in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Members include Chatham-Kent Workforce Planning Board, Elgin Middlesex Oxford Workforce Planning and Development Board, Four County Labour Market Planning Board, Niagara Workforce Planning Board, Sarnia Lambton Workforce Development Board, Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie, Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin, Workforce Planning Hamilton, and Workforce WindsorEssex.

With the lead from Workforce Windsor Essex, Workforce Planning West created localized reports that look at the effects of the pandemic locally in labour markets throughout Southwestern Ontario, while providing communities with a strategic framework to proactively plan ahead despite high uncertainty. These reports examine four probable futures of how supply and demand of the labour in Southwestern Ontario may shift in next 12-24 months. Each workforce board conducted their own scenario plan for their locality – and these individual reports will be amalgamated into a regional report. 

The factors and scenarios were enveloped by research and consultations with employers, service providers, and other stake holders in the community. Each scenario has potential recommendations and we have an overall recommendation at the end for the project. This then is an opportunity to find an overlap with your organization or think about how other stakeholders in the community can be connected to this project.


Tomorrow, Friday March 19, the collaborative Southwestern Ontario report will be released and considered four probable futures relating to the degree to which there is structural change in the workforce and structural change in society. Stay tuned to our social media platforms where we will be sharing the launch of the Southwestern Ontario Scenario Planning Report.


COVID Pushing People in Hard-Hit Fields to Retrain For New Jobs
An estimated 25% of working Canadians have started over in jobs unrelated to what they did before pandemic.

Statistics Canada says 3.1 million Canadians were affected by job losses or reduced hours in March alone last year when the pandemic restrictions began. In its monthly jobs report released Friday, StatsCan said there were 599,000 fewer people employed and 406,000 more people working less than half their usual hours in February this year compared to 12 months earlier.

Close to 400,000 jobs have been lost in Ontario alone over the past year, according to a recent report — many in the travel and service industries — and up to half of Canadians have seen their jobs affected in some way.
Canadian Economy Added 259,000 Jobs in February
 Canada's economy added 259,000 jobs last month, whipping past expectations to pull the country closer to pre-pandemic employment levels, with young women staring at the longest road to recovery.

One year into the pandemic, Canada's job market is 599,100 jobs short of where it was in February of last year, or 3.1 per cent below pre-pandemic levels.

The shortfall is higher for young workers at 10.2 per cent, with young women between the ages of 15 and 24 the most affected group through this pandemic.
Hamilton's Local Labour Market Plan 2020
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Workforce Planning Hamilton takes great pride in releasing our latest Labour Market Plan. The LMP is the result of Workforce Planning Hamilton’s evidence-based planning process that documents
Hamilton’s current labour market conditions and creates a plan that captures key labour market issues and priorities.

Our Local Labour Market Report looks at the labour market in 2020 and reveals the top trends. This includes tracking news stories in the local media and reviewing any reports that we have developed or other research conducted by community partners. We also review the latest statistics available through Statistics Canada and review this information and how it aligns with and enhances local intelligence gathered through our own employer networks. Finally, we check in with local employment service providers to understand how these conditions are impacting the clients that they serve and how those clients are faring in the local economy.

This year eight indicators are also added in the appendix that tracks the labour market in the medium term. Many of the indicators are also incorporated into the report.
Hamilton Labour Force Information:
February 2021

The Hamilton COVID Concierge for Business is a one-stop online resource centre and phone line dedicated to supporting Hamilton businesses with their COVID-19 business questions and concerns.
Hamilton businesses can call the COVID Concierge at 905-521-3989 (Mon-Fri, 8:30am-4:30pm) or Contact Us online.


The Hamilton COVID Concierge for Business is brought to you by the Hamilton COVID Concierge Team, comprised of the City of Hamilton and the three local Chambers of Commerce.
Workforce Planning Hamilton | 905-521-5777| info@workforceplanninghamilton.ca | www.workforceplanninghamilton.ca