June 2021 Labour Market Update

- Jul 09, 2021

Reports, Stats, and Data

The latest Statistics Canada local labour market report customized for the Brantford CMA for last month is now available.

June Unemployment Rate: Brantford 6.5% [+] Ontario 8.4% [-] Canada 7.8% [-]

Be sure to review the participation rate and the employment rate (reported as percentages), as well as the labour force, the employed, and the unemployed values (reported as absolute numbers). These give a better picture of changes in the market.

Labour Market Report

The report includes annual rates for the last 10 years, comparing Brantford to surrounding CMAs as well as the provincial and national levels.

Revisions to Labour Force Survey data

Following each census cycle, Labour Force Survey (LFS) data are revised to ensure alignment with the most recently available population estimates, geographic boundaries, and occupation and industry classifications. This standard revision process—which has little impact on key labour market indicators such as employment and the unemployment rate—ensures that the LFS continues to paint a complete and accurate picture of labour market conditions. Read more on the Statistics Canada website.

Overview from Statistics Canada

Visit the Statistics Canada page for full information.

Compared with the May reference week, public health restrictions had been significantly eased in several jurisdictions by the end of the June reference week. Most indoor and outdoor dining, recreation and cultural activities, retail shopping, and personal care services had resumed or continued in eight provinces, with varying degrees of capacity restrictions.

Ontario's stay-at-home order was lifted on June 2, and outdoor dining and some in-person non-essential shopping resumed on June 11. However, indoor dining and gyms, as well as personal care services, remained closed during the reference week. Remote schooling continued across the province.

Employment rebounds in June

Employment rose by 231,000 (+1.2%) in June, following a cumulative decline of 275,000 over the previous two months.

Employment growth was entirely in part-time work and concentrated among youth aged 15 to 24.

After falling by 143,000 over the previous two months, full-time work was little changed.

The number of employed people working less than half their usual hours fell by 276,000 (-19.3%).

The number of self-employed workers fell by 63,000 (-2.3%); down 7.2% compared with February 2020.

In the three months ending in June, the employment rate for Indigenous people was 55.8%, little changed from February 2020 (56.2%) (not seasonally adjusted).

Total hours worked were little changed and were 4.0% below their pre-pandemic level.

The number of Canadians working from home fell by nearly 400,000 to 4.7 million.

Employment increased in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Nova Scotia.

Unemployment rate falls while the labour force expands

The unemployment rate was 7.8%, as the total number of unemployed Canadians fell by 61,000 (-3.7%).

The number of people in the labour force—either employed or unemployed—increased by 170,000 (+0.8%).

The labour force participation rate increased 0.6 percentage points to 65.2%.

The unemployment rate among visible minority Canadians aged 15 to 69 fell 1.3 percentage points to 10.1% (not seasonally adjusted).

Youth employment grows as public health restrictions are eased

Employment among youth aged 15 to 24 rose by 164,000 (+7.1%), the largest single-month increase for this age group since July 2020.

The number of unemployed youth aged 15 to 24 fell by 50,000, with declines among both young women and young men.

In June, the employment rate for returning students aged 20 to 24 was 67.5%, up from 51.0% in May.

Employment rises in several industries providing in-person services

The number of people working in accommodation and food services rose by 101,000 (+11.8%).

In the accommodation and food services industry, workers earned an average of $17.35 per hour; the all-industry average was $29.70.

With restrictions on non-essential stores eased in many provinces, employment in retail trade rose by 75,000 (+3.4%).

The number of people working in goods-producing industries fell by 48,000, the second consecutive monthly decline.

Employment in the construction industry fell by 23,000 (-1.6%) and in natural resources by 9,800 (-2.9%).

Local Top Line

June Unemployment Rate: Brantford 6.5% [+] Ontario 8.4% [-] Canada 7.8% [-]
The local unemployment rate increased by 0.4 month over month.
The local labour force contracted by 1,500 month over month.
The number of employed decreased by 1,700 month over month.
The number of unemployed increased by 200 month over month.
When compared to the surrounding CMAs of Hamilton, Niagara, Waterloo, Guelph, and London, Brantford’s unemployment rate is tied with the lowest.

Note: Brantford's unemployment reflects a 3 month moving average, whereas Ontario and Canada are monthly figures. The sample CMA breakdown for Brantford area is detailed in text at the Stats Canada website: http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p3VD.pl?Function=getVD&TVD=117159&CVD=117161&CPV=543&CST=01012011&CLV=2&MLV=3