Local unemployment rate improved slightly in November
Windsor's unemployment rate dropped slightly to 10.6 per cent for the month of November but still remains among the highest in Ontario, according to the latest numbers released Friday by Statistics Canada.
The local jobless number is a slight improvement from 10.8 per cent in October.
Among major Ontario urban areas measured by the Statistics Canada labour survey, Windsor's rate is similar to several of the hardest-hit cities. They include Peterborough 11.9 per cent, Toronto at 10.7 per cent, Barrie at 10.6 per cent and Kitchener-waterloo at 9.1 per cent.
Elsewhere in Canada, the highest unemployment rates for major urban areas included Victoria at 13 per cent, Edmonton at 11.3 per cent and Calgary at 10.7 per cent.
Compared to one year ago, there are 3,400 additional people out of work in the Windsor area, which equates to a 40 per cent increase compared to the jobless number in November 2019.
The overall unemployment rate for Canada for November was 8.5 per cent — a 0.4 per cent drop from October, according to the labour survey. Since the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the nation, the record high for unemployment peaked at 13.7 per cent in May.
Since that time until September, employment rebounded considerably, growing by an average of 2.7 per cent per month.
But that growth has now slowed to a trickle recently with employment rising by only 0.5 per cent in October and 0.3 per cent in November, according to the survey.
“Full-time employment rose by 99,000 in November, while parttime work was little changed,” Statscan said.
Among people who are still working at least half as much as they used to, there were 4.6 million people working from home in November, an increase of 250,000 from October. The 4.6 million number included 2.5 million who do not usually work from home.
“Employment growth continued to vary across industries in November,” the federal agency said. “Employment fell in industries most directly affected by public health restrictions, notably in accommodation and food services.
“On the other hand, employment continued to approach or exceed PRE-COVID levels in industries where working from home or physical distancing is more feasible, such as professional, scientific and technical services.”