Vol. 6 Issue 3, June 18, 2020
Hamilton's Labour Market Connection
Your weekly news & updates from WPH!
In this week's edition: Inclusive Labour Force Recovery; Microlearning; May Labour Force Survey - Focus on Sectors ; Who's Hiring in Hamilton during COVID-19?; Hamilton LMI May 2020
3 Steps Toward an Inclusive Labour Force Recovery
hands_teamwork_puzzle.jpg
The impact on Canada's job market due to the pandemic is simply unprecedented. From March until April, Canada lost more than three million jobs. As a country - this is something we have never seen before in such a short period of time.

The month of May showed glimpses of increased employment for Canada. But the road to recovery will be long.

As we begin to plan our policies and programs for a post-COVID labour market, we can glean several lessons from the past to ensure that this recovery will be inclusive.

Microlearning
With everything else on our to-do list, like networking, self-care, exercising, and working toward that next promotion (just to name a few things), how are we supposed to find time to learn new skills and expand our expertise?

The key lies in microlearning. Microlearning is a learning approach where you consume smaller amounts of information over a shorter period of time. This type of skills training takes the essential parts of a concept or an idea and teaches it in highly-focused and bite-sized nuggets.

Microlearning is shorter and faster than traditional learning because it’s focused on conciseness.

time_2_learn_vector.jpg
What Happened In May In The Labour Market?
Sector Information
decline
Sector Losses 

Accommodation and food services and manufacturing are two sectors that are the largest declines in May – both declining by 6,000 jobs. The largest decline by percent over the last three months are Accommodation and food services, -46%. It is clear that service industry particularly food services have suffered major declines in Hamilton and across the province.

Sector Gains

May was the first time Phase 1 opening was introduced in Ontario – allowing some government restrictions to lift which lead to employment in four industries increasing in Hamilton. Construction saw the largest increases in employment, increasing by 1,100 jobs 3%. This was followed by Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (+900 jobs) and Public administration (+500 jobs). Agriculture interestingly has seen consistent job increases in Hamilton over the last three months, employing 3,800 workers in May.

The chart below shows the change in employment in Ontario from April to May 2020 during the pandemic.
Source: Labour Force Survey
Company Sizes

The smallest companies saw the largest increase in May, increasing by 73,500 jobs or 5%. Companies with 100 to 500 employees also saw a small increase in employment by 2%. In the early stages of the re-opening we can see that small businesses have benefited the most.  

Over the last three months it is still the smallest employers that saw the largest declines. Businesses with less than 20 employees have declined by 21%, and businesses with 20 to 99 employees have declined by 18%.
May has shown some significant information for our local and provincial labour market. We will be putting together a report with detailed information with Labour Force Information from May in next weeks newsletter. You will be able to access all the information from May's newsletter in more details.
Who's Hiring in Hamilton During COVID-19?

New job board provides opportunities for businesses and job seekers
With support from the city’s Economic Development Office we are sharing a new platform for Hamilton businesses and their local employment needs. During these unprecedented times there is a desire for real-time information on job opportunities across many sectors in our city.

Hamilton Labour Force Information:
May 2020

The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the City of Hamilton, Hamilton Economic Development, and the Flamborough and Stoney Creek Chambers of Commerce, are closely monitoring and assessing new developments pertaining to COVID-19, as well as its impacts on Hamilton business.

Workforce Planning Hamilton | 905-521-5777| info@workforceplanninghamilton.ca | www.workforceplanninghamilton.ca