Quick facts

In April 2019:

  • There were 12.1 million people in Ontario aged 15 years or older
    • 7.9 million (65%) were either working or actively looking for work
    • 7.4 million (61%) were employed and 81% of them had a full-time job
  • Ontario’s unemployment rate was 6.0% (470,100 unemployed people)

Employment increased in April

Employment in Ontario increased in April (47,100), after falling by 8,800 jobs in March. This was the largest monthly gain since July 2018 (55,700).

Chart 1 shows employment in Ontario from January 2014 to April 2019.

Line graph for chart 1 shows employment in Ontario increasing from 6,843,000 in January 2014 to 7,417,100 in April 2019.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0019-01, (seasonally adjusted data).

Download data, chart 1

Full-time vs. part-time

Part-time employment accounted for most of the job gains (37,000). Full-time jobs increased by 10,100.

Employment increase/decrease by age

Youth employment (those aged 15 to 24) increased in April (28,700), after decreasing by 11,100 jobs in March.

Employment for people aged 25 to 54 fell by 2,900 in April, compared to March. Those aged 55 and older gained 21,400 jobs.

Employment in Canada increased by 106,500 in April, following little change in March (-7,200). Canada’s employment increase in April was the largest on record.

Unemployment rate increased to 6.0%

Chart 2 shows unemployment rates, Ontario and Canada, January 2014 to April 2019.

Line graph for Chart 2.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0019-01, (seasonally adjusted data).

Download data, chart 2

Ontario’s unemployment rate increased to 6.0% in April from 5.9% in March as a result of an increase in the number of people in the labour force.

Ontario’s unemployment rate has remained at or below 6.0% since August 2017.

Canada’s unemployment rate decreased to 5.7% in April, following three consecutive months at 5.8%.

Unemployment rate by age

For people aged 15 to 24, the unemployment rate was 12.0% in April, down from 12.2% in March.

The unemployment rates for people aged 25 to 54 increased to 5.1% in April from 4.9% in March and fell to 4.5% from 4.8% for those aged 55 and older.

Lowest and highest unemployment rates

Chart 3 shows Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) with highest and lowest unemployment rates in Canada, April 2019.

Bar graph for chart 3.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0294-01, (seasonally adjusted data four-month moving average to reduce volatility caused by small sample size).

Download data, chart 3

Barrie recorded the highest unemployment rate in Ontario April (7.0%), while St. John’s, Newfoundland recorded the highest unemployment rate in Canada (7.9%).

Hamilton recorded the lowest unemployment rate in Ontario in April (3.9%), while Victoria, British Columbia recorded the lowest unemployment rate in Canada (3.1%).

Year-over-year comparisons

Over the first four months of 2019, employment in Ontario increased by 173,300 net jobs for adults 25 years and older compared to the first four months of 2018.

Employment increase and decrease by education level

Chart 4 shows Ontario employment change by highest level of education attained, aged 25 and older, April 2018 year-to-date to April 2019 year-to-date.

Bar graph for chart 4.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0019-01, unadjusted data.

Download data, chart 4

Adults with a postsecondary certificate or diploma led gains with 97,200 net new jobs, followed by those with a university degree (96,700).

Individuals with some postsecondary education recorded job losses of 51,700.

People with less than high school education also recorded job losses (11,600), while those with high school education recorded job gains of 42,700.

Unemployment rate by education level

The unemployment rate for adults aged 25 and older with postsecondary education credentials was 4.3% in the first four months of 2019, up from 4.1% a year earlier.

The unemployment rate for adults without postsecondary education credentials was 6.6%, up from 6.4% a year ago.

Employment increase and decrease by occupation

Chart 5 shows Ontario employment change by occupation, April 2018 year-to-date to April 2019 year-to-date.

Bar graph for chart 5.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0297-01, unadjusted data.

Download data, chart 5

Eight of the ten major occupational groups in Ontario had net employment gains in over the fist four months of 2019 compared to a year earlier.

Learn more about the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system.

These occupations gained the most jobs:

  • sales and service (60,300)
  • trade, transport and equipment operators (46,100)
  • education, law and social, community and government services (34,500)

These occupations lost jobs:

  • management (34,800)
  • manufacturing and utilities (14,900)

Long-term unemployment share decreased

Chart 6 shows Ontario’s long-term unemployed (27 weeks or more) as a percentage of total unemployment, April 2011 year-to-date to April 2019 year-to-date.

Bar graph for chart 6.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0056-01, unadjusted data.

Download data, chart 6

Over the first four months of 2019, an average of 74,300 people were unemployed for 27 weeks or longer, or long-term unemployed. This was up from 73,000 a year earlier.

Long-term unemployed individuals accounted for 16.1% of the total number of unemployed people in the first four months of 2019. This compared with 17.1% a year earlier.

Average time in long-term unemployment

The average time in unemployment decreased to 16.7 weeks in over the first four months of 2019 from 17.8 weeks a year earlier.

Download data

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey

April 2019 Labour Market Report:

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