Vol. 6 Issue 2, June 11, 2020
Hamilton's Labour Market Connection
Your weekly news & updates from WPH!
In this week's edition: Local job board; StatsCan Job Displacement review, May Labour Force Information Hamilton & Ontario; COVID Impact on Canadian Tourism Sector; Hamilton LMI May 2020
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.

Statistics Canada Review of Job Displacement in Canada
It is too early to know how many Canadian workers will lose their job, i.e. will be permanently laid-off, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and what will happen to them financially after job loss. Yet a number of stylized facts emerge from the past. While these facts do not necessarily allow accurate predictions of the impact of the pandemic on job displacement, they provide a long-term perspective from which forthcoming labour market developments can be assessed. The goal of this article is to highlight these facts.

canadian_flag_waving.jpg
What Happened In May In The Labour Market?
May showed employment going up in Canada but the only decrease in employment was in Ontario with a decline of 64,500 jobs from the previous month. 92% of these job losses were full-time jobs. Ontario has seen the highest unemployment rate ever recorded at 13.6%.

Hamilton
Employment in Hamilton decreased by 25,400 jobs in May. Over the last three months the total loss of jobs in Hamilton has reached 45,900, a decline of 10.7%. The unemployment rate shot up to 10.3% an increase of 2.3 percentage points from the previous month.

Based on three labour force characteristics the charts below show that Hamilton has slightly better weathered the storm compared to Ontario.
Please note:
Hamilton data is based on the geography of Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. This includes Hamilton, Burlington, and Grimsby.

There was a three-month lag in Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area’s data. Because of the way Statistics Canada compiles the data, May is the first month that we can see the impact of the pandemic at the local level.   

Ontario’s data is a monthly figure that is seasonally adjusted. Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area’s data is a three-month lag to deal with data suppression and inaccuracies. This is why the Ontario data in the table could be slightly different than the official rate mentioned. The goal of the comparison is to compare Ontario and Hamilton with the same survey methodology to compare trends.
Age

In May, the most job losses occurred among the youngest age cohort (15 to 24 years of age) declining by 30,100 jobs. This age cohort has also seen the largest decline in employment by percent since the pandemic began decreasing by 35%. The 15 to 24 years old age cohort now has a 30% unemployment rate, meaning just over a third of people aged 15 to 24 are working.

Gender

May continues to show female workers experiencing a greater decline in employment than males. Female saw a decrease of 39,700 jobs compared to a decrease of 24,800 jobs for males.
Male and female jobs both declined by nearly 28% in part-time jobs but female workers saw a greater decrease in full-time jobs declining by 13.6%, while males saw a decline of 11.6

The chart below shows employment changes in Ontario based on sex and age demographics as this information for Hamilton is not currently available (this information for Hamilton is only available annually.)
Source: Labour Force Survey

May has shown some significant information for our local and provincial labour market. We will be putting together a report with detailed information on our website. We will share it in the coming weeks through our newsletter so you can access this information in more detail.
The Impact
of COVID-19 on the Canadian Tourism Industry
The tourism sector is at the forefront of COVID-19 job losses in Canada. Employment fell over 42% between February and April 2020, and in the last two months have accounted for 27% of all job losses in the country.


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