Windsor Sees Job Growth with 7.7% Unemployment in December

Windsor’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.7 per cent in December, as the local economy added 300 jobs, according to new figures from Statistics Canada.

The Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada shows that the number of unemployed individuals in the Windsor census metropolitan area decreased from 21,700 in November to 20,500 in December.

Even with these job additions, Windsor’s labor force saw a reduction of 400 people last month. The participation rate remained unchanged at 65.7 per cent, while the employment rate increased slightly to 60.6 per cent from November’s figure of 60.4 per cent.

Despite improvements in December, Windsor still ranks among cities with the highest unemployment rates in Canada. The city recorded the tenth-highest unemployment rate nationwide, alongside St. John’s, N. L., and Lethbridge, Alta.

This December figure represents a significant improvement compared to last year. Data from Statistics Canada reveals that Windsor’s unemployment rate was at 8.9 per cent in December of 2024 after several months above 10 per cent earlier that same year.

Ontario and National Trends

In Ontario, the unemployment rate rose to 7.9 per cent in December despite the province’s employment rate staying steady for two consecutive months. According to Statistics Canada, more people were actively seeking work which led to an increase in the jobless rate.

Nationally, employment saw minor changes in December with an increase of just 8,200 jobs added. The employment rate remained stable at 60.9 per cent.

Canada’s overall unemployment rate went up by 0.3 percentage points to reach 6.8 per cent in December, somewhat reversing a cumulative decline of 0.6 percentage points observed over the prior two months. The total number of unemployed individuals across Canada increased by 73,000 reaching a total of about 1.6 million.

Younger workers have been facing rising unemployment rates as well; for those aged between 15 and 24 years old, it increased by half a percentage point to hit13.3 percentin Decemberas youth employment fell by27 ,000 jobs. This followed gains seen during October and November when youth employment had risen significantlyandunemployment rates dropped sharply.

The situation changed for core-aged workers aged between25 and54years old; their unemployment rates rose for both menand women as more individuals sought work. The male unemploymen t ratereached6.0percentwhile female rates climbedto5.9percent

For older workersaged55 and above, labor market conditions improvedwithanadditional33 ,000people gainingemploymentandtheunemploymentratefallingto5.1percent.

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