Quick facts

In June 2024:

  • There were 13.3 million people in Ontario aged 15 years or older
    • 8.7 million (65.3%) were in the labour force. The labour force increased by 35,700 (0.4%) in June compared to May.
    • 8.1 million (60.7%) were employed, little changed (9,800 or 0.1%) from May.
  • Ontario's unemployment rate increased to 7.0% in June from 6.7% in May and 607,900 people were unemployed, up by 25,900 (4.5%) from May.

Important note

This report is based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS), a household survey carried out by Statistics Canada. June’s LFS results cover labour market conditions during the week of June 9 to 15.

Employment little changed in June

Employment in Ontario was little changed in June (9,800 or 0.1%), after increasing by 49,500 (0.6%) in May. A total of 8,054,800 people were employed in Ontario in June.

Employment in Canada was little changed in June (-1,400 or 0.0%), after increasing by 26,700 (0.1%) in May. A total of 20,516,400 people were employed in Canada in June.

Chart 1 shows employment in Ontario from January 2015 to June 2024.

Line graph for chart 1 shows employment in Ontario from January 2015 to June 2024.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0287-01, (seasonally adjusted data).

Download data, chart 1

Full-time vs. part-time

Part-time employment increased by 17,200 (1.2%) in June, while full-time employment decreased by 7,400 (-0.1%).

Employment change by sex and age

Employment for men decreased by 10,700 (-0.3%) in June, after increasing by 26,200 (0.6%) in May. Total male employment was 4,226,600 in June. Employment for women increased by 20,500 (0.5%) in June, after decreasing by 23,300 (0.6%) in May. Total female employment was 3,828,200 in June.

Youth (aged 15 to 24) employment increased by 8,500 (0.8%) in June for a total of 1,054,400, after increasing by 27,900 (2.7%) in May. Employment for people aged 25 to 54 decreased by 8,000 (-0.2%) to 5,269,300 in June, after increasing by 5,200 (0.1%) in May. Employment for those aged 55 and older increased by 9,200 (0.5%) to 1,731,000 in June, after increasing by 16,400 (1.0%) in May.

Employment change by industry

Ontario’s largest industry groups by employment in June were wholesale and retail trade (1,104,400 or 13.7% of total employment), health care and social assistance (1,016,000 or 12.6%), professional, scientific and technical services (901,200 or 11.2%), manufacturing (814,900 or 10.1%) and finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (712,100 or 8.8%).

Professional, scientific and technical services (12,900 or 1.5%), finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (10,800 or 1.5%) and other services (except public administration) (10,100 or 3.5%) led job gains in June.

Notable employment losses occurred in wholesale and retail trade (-13,600 or -1.2%), public administration (-11,400 or -2.5%) and construction (-9,600 or -1.7%) in June.

Chart 2 shows industries by employment change in Ontario, May 2024 to June 2024.

Bar graph for chart 2 shows employment change by industry.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0355-02, (seasonally adjusted data).

Download data, chart 2

Employment change by occupation

Ontario’s largest occupational groups by employment in June were sales and service (1,696,500 or 20.8% of total employment), business, finance and administration (1,336,900 or 16.4%), trades, transport and equipment operators (1,145,100 or 14.0%) and occupations in education, law and social, community and government services (945,300 or 11.6%).

Six of the ten major occupational groups in Ontario had net employment gains in the first six months of 2024 when compared to the same period in 2023. Management occupations (80,500 or 9.9%) led job gains, followed by natural and applied sciences and related occupations (44,900 or 6.0%) and occupations in education, law and social, community and government services (36,300 or 4.0%).

Notable employment losses were recorded in sales and service occupations (-43,100 or -2.6%), trades, transport and equipment operators (-20,900 or -1.9%) and business, finance and administration occupations (-20,200 or -1.5%).

Chart 3 shows occupations by annual employment change in Ontario, June 2023 to June 2024.

Alt text description: Bar graph for chart 3 shows employment change by occupation.

Bar graph for chart 3 shows employment change by occupation.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0421-01, (data unadjusted for seasonality).

Download data, chart 3

Employment change in urban centres

In June 2024, employment in nine of the sixteen Ontario Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) was above their June 2023 level, led by Toronto (42,100 or 1.1%) and followed by Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (20,000 or 5.8%), Hamilton (14,000 or 3.4%) and Oshawa (10,200 or 4.9%).

Notable employment losses in June were recorded in Belleville (-19,300 or -29.3%), Barrie (-9,000 or -6.8%) and Greater Sudbury (-3,700 or -4.3%). Employment was unchanged in Kingston (94,000) in June.

Chart 4 shows employment change for Ontario Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) from June 2023 to June 2024.

Bar graph for chart 4 shows employment change by Ontario Census Metropolitan Area.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0380-01, (seasonally adjusted data three-month moving average to reduce volatility caused by small sample size).

Download data, chart 4

Unemployment rate increased to 7.0%

Ontario’s unemployment rate increased to 7.0% in June from 6.7% in May. The provincial unemployment rate has increased significantly since falling to a near-record low in April 2023 (5.1%).

The Canadian unemployment rate increased to 6.4% in June from 6.2% in May. The national unemployment rate has also increased significantly since April 2023 (5.1%).

Chart 5 shows unemployment rates, Ontario and Canada, January 2015 to June 2024.

Line graph for Chart 5 shows unemployment rates in Canada and Ontario from January 2015 to June 2024.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0287-01, (seasonally adjusted data).

Download data, chart 5

Unemployment rate by sex, age, visible minority status, immigrant status and Indigenous group

The unemployment rate for women increased to 6.6% in June from 6.5% in May. The rate for men was 7.4% in June, up from 7.0% in May.

For youth aged 15 to 24, the unemployment rate increased to 16.5% in June from 15.2% in May. The unemployment rate for individuals aged 25 to 54 rose to 5.6% in June from 5.5% in May. The unemployment rate for those aged 55 and older decreased to 4.7% in June from 4.8% in May.

In Ontario, the unemployment rate among population groups designated as visible minorities was estimated at 9.2% in June compared to a 5.5% rate for those who are not visible minorities and did not identify as Indigenous (data are three-month moving averages and are not adjusted for seasonality).

The unemployment rate for landed immigrants was 7.6% in June compared to a 6.0% rate for the Canadian-born population in Ontario. The unemployment rate for landed immigrants includes the rates for very recent immigrants (13.7%), recent immigrants (8.2%) and established immigrants (5.9%) (data are three-month moving averages and are not adjusted for seasonality).

In Ontario, the unemployment rate for the Indigenous population was estimated at 9.3% in June compared to a 6.9% rate for the non-Indigenous population. The unemployment rate for the Indigenous population includes the rates for First Nations people living off reserve (11.1%) and individuals who identify as Métis (7.6%) (data are three-month moving averages and are not adjusted for seasonality).

Unemployment rate by urban centre

In June, the average unemployment rate increased from May in nine of the sixteen Ontario Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs). The largest increases were seen in Brantford (4.9% in May to 5.7% in June), Oshawa (5.2% to 6.0%), Belleville (5.4% to 6.2%) and Windsor (8.5% to 9.1%).

Seven CMAs had average unemployment rates that decreased in June, led by Peterborough (4.5% in May to 3.2% in June), Kingston (5.8% to 5.3%) and Guelph (4.2% to 3.7%).

Chart 6 shows the average unemployment rate for Ontario Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) in June 2024.

Bar graph for chart 6 shows unemployment rate by Ontario Census Metropolitan Area.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0380-01, (seasonally adjusted data three-month moving average to reduce volatility caused by small sample size).

Download data, chart 6

Long-term unemployment

In June, an estimated 131,600 Ontarians or 21.6% of all unemployed people were unemployed for 27 weeks or longer (long-term unemployed). This compared to 111,900 Ontarians or 19.2% of all unemployed people in May and 67,600 or 14.1% of all unemployed people a year earlier in June 2023.

The average time in unemployment was 19.3 weeks in June, above the average in May (18.9 weeks) and well above the average in June 2023 (16.7 weeks).

Chart 7 shows Ontario’s long-term unemployment (27 weeks or more) as a percentage of total unemployment, January 2015 to June 2024.

Line graph for Chart 7 shows Ontario’s long-term unemployed (27 weeks or more) as a percentage of total unemployment from January 2015 to June 2024.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0342-01, (seasonally adjusted data).

Download data, chart 7

Average hourly wages by sex, age and industry

Important note

Average hourly wage rates are reported without adjusting for the rate of inflation.

The average hourly wage rate in Ontario for employees was $35.87 in June, above the average rate across Canada ($34.91). Ontario’s average hourly wage rate in June rose by 5.4% on a year-over-year basis (by $1.85 from $34.02 in June 2023) which was above the 4.2% increase in May.

June’s wage growth (5.4%) was well above the growth seen in the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI) as of May (3.0%). The CPI is a measure of inflation that represents changes in prices for goods and services as experienced by consumers.

Chart 8 shows the year-over-year percentage change in Ontario’s average hourly wage rate and the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI), January 2015 to June 2024.

Line graph for Chart 8 shows the year-over-year percentage change in Ontario’s average hourly wage rate and the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI) from January 2015 to June 2024.

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, Table 14-10-0063-01 (data unadjusted for seasonality).

Download data, chart 8

The average hourly wage rate was $33.42 for women in June, rising by 5.1% ($1.63) from $31.79 in June 2023. For men, the average hourly wage rate was $38.23, an increase of 5.7% ($2.06) from $36.17 a year earlier.

For youth aged 15 to 24, the average hourly wage rate was $21.60 in June, an increase of 7.6% ($1.53) from $20.07 in June 2023. The average hourly wage rate for individuals aged 25 to 54 rose to $38.73 in June, up 4.6% ($1.71) from $37.02 a year earlier. The average hourly wage rate for those aged 55 and older increased by 6.3% ($2.23) to $37.75 in June from $35.52 a year earlier.

In June, the industries with the largest increases in average hourly wage rates compared to a year earlier were:

  1. Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas: +14.6% ($6.06) to $47.51
  2. Utilities: +14.2% ($7.13) to $30.00
  3. Other services (except public administration): +8.1% ($2.30) to $30.62

Only two industries experienced a decrease in their average hourly wage rates in June compared to a year earlier:

  1. Agriculture: -9.7% (-$2.41) to $22.35
  2. Business, building and other support services: -2.0% (-$0.52) to $25.33

Changes in average hourly wages by industry are the result of multiple factors, including wage growth and shifts in the composition of employment by job tenure and occupation.

Download data

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey

June 2024 Labour Market Report:

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