Ontario’s Labour Market in 2021

Series: Labour Market
Publish date: February 23, 2022 ISBN 978-1-4868-5934-4
This report provides an update on Ontario’s labour market performance in 2021, highlights major challenges facing the province’s workers, and includes a brief overview of the impact of the COVID-19 Omicron variant on employment in January 2022. 
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About this Document

Established by the Financial Accountability Officer Act, 2013, the Financial Accountability Office (FAO) provides independent analysis on the state of the Province’s finances, trends in the provincial economy and related matters important to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

Prepared by:
Sabrina Afroz (Senior Economist) and Paul Lewis (Chief Economist)

© Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2022

Citation
Ontario’s Labour Market in 2021: Labour market experiences strong but uneven recovery, Financial Accountability Office of Ontario, 2022.
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Labour market experiences strong but uneven recovery


Summary

This report provides an update on Ontario’s labour market performance in 2021. It presents a summary of the overall labour market in the province, followed by information for demographic groups, industries, major cities, immigrants and visible minorities. The report highlights some major challenges facing Ontario’s labour market and provides a brief update on the impact of the COVID-19 Omicron variant on the labour market in January 2022.

Total employment in Ontario rebounded strongly in 2021 as pandemic-related restrictions were eased

Employment recovery was uneven, with some groups remaining far below pre-pandemic levels

Lingering effects of the pandemic continue to pose challenges to many workers

Omicron variant caused temporary setback in the province’s labour market in early 2022

Figure 1 Employment among some groups remained below the pre-pandemic level

Note: The numbers represent the employment change from 2019 to 2021. The figure highlights several groups that experienced the slowest recovery in employment. However, it does not include all groups where employment remains below pre-pandemic 2019 levels.

Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.

Accessible version
Change in Employment from 2019 to 2021 (Thousands) Change in Employment from 2019 to 2021 (Per Cent)
Youth (15-24) -69.8 -6.9
Part-time -81.0 -5.9
Self-employed -69.1 -5.9
Accommodation and food services -92.6 -20.6
Business, building and other support -25.3 -8.1
Transportation and warehousing -22.8 -5.8
Other services -22.7 -7.6
Agriculture -7.6 -10.1
Greater Sudbury -4.9 -5.6
Brantford -4.0 -5.1
Belleville -1.7 -3.3
Kingston -2.6 -3.1
St. Catharines-Niagara -5.6 -2.7

Jobs rebounded strongly in 2021 as the economy gradually reopened

Ontario’s labour market rebounded strongly in 2021, following the record job loss in 2020. According to Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey, the province gained 344,800 jobs in 2021 (a 4.9 per cent increase), the largest annual increase in employment on record.[2] The record job gains brought employment essentially back to the pre-pandemic 2019 level (0.1 per cent below).

As pandemic-related restrictions were eased in 2021, more people entered the job market looking for work, raising the province’s labour force participation rate to 64.9 per cent, matching its pre-pandemic rate. The annual unemployment rate declined to 8.0 per cent in 2021, down from 9.6 per cent in 2020. Despite the improvement, the unemployment rate remained above the pre-pandemic rate of 5.6 per cent in 2019.

Figure 2 Ontario saw strongest job gains on record in 2021

Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.

Accessible version
Year Employment Change (Thousands) Unemployment Rate (Per Cent)
1977 63.2 6.9
1978 119.7 7.2
1979 169.2 6.6
1980 72.3 6.9
1981 127.4 6.6
1982 -93.9 9.8
1983 50.4 10.4
1984 161.2 9.0
1985 166.4 7.9
1986 157.3 7.0
1987 161.7 6.1
1988 187.5 5.0
1989 115.9 5.0
1990 -4.9 6.2
1991 -177.0 9.5
1992 -84.2 10.8
1993 5.1 10.9
1994 75.6 9.6
1995 86.4 8.7
1996 65.9 9.0
1997 124.8 8.4
1998 163.2 7.2
1999 181.4 6.3
2000 179.6 5.7
2001 106.4 6.3
2002 112.9 7.1
2003 178.7 6.9
2004 101.4 6.8
2005 66.7 6.6
2006 68.0 6.3
2007 77.5 6.4
2008 61.2 6.6
2009 -172.2 9.2
2010 99.1 8.7
2011 123.6 7.9
2012 28.5 7.9
2013 101.4 7.6
2014 41.0 7.3
2015 36.3 6.8
2016 76.0 6.6
2017 131.1 6.0
2018 120.8 5.7
2019 203.6 5.6
2020 -355.3 9.6
2021 344.8 8.0

On an average annual basis, job gains occurred in both the public (98,100 or 7.2 per cent) and private sectors (265,700 or 5.8 per cent). In the public sector, employment gains were recorded in educational services, and health care and social assistance, while private-sector job growth was widespread across various sectors including professional, scientific and technical services; wholesale and retail trade; and manufacturing.

Just over three-quarters of these paid job gains in 2021 were in permanent positions. In contrast to paid employment, self-employment continued to decline, dropping 1.7 per cent (-19,000) in 2021, following a 4.3 per cent loss in the previous year. The decline in self-employment was concentrated in business, building and other support services.

Part-time employment grew at a faster pace (5.8 per cent or 71,300) in 2021 compared to full-time employment (4.7 per cent or 273,400). Despite the growth, part-time employment remained 5.9 per cent below the 2019 pre-pandemic level.

As a number of sectors that employ a high share of women reopened throughout 2021, Ontario’s total female employment increased by 181,200 (5.5 per cent), larger than the 163,600 (4.4 per cent) job gains by male workers. However, total female employment in 2021 remained slightly below the pre-pandemic level due to weak job recovery among young females,[3] while total male employment was slightly above the 2019 level.

Figure 3 Employment for many workers did not recover to pre-pandemic level

*Paid employment does not include self-employment.

Note: Numbers may not add due to rounding.

Source: Statistics Canda and FAO.

Accessible version
Annual Employment Change in 2021
(Thousands)
Comparison to Pre-pandemic 2019
(Thousands)
Type of Employment
Full-time 273.4 70.5
Part-time 71.3 -81.0
Class of Workers
Private sector employees 265.7 -22.9
Public sector employees 98.1 81.5
Self-employed -19.0 -69.1
Type of Paid Employment*
Permanent 278.7 100.0
Temporary 85.1 -41.4
Gender
Male 163.6 11.0
Female 181.2 -21.4
Total 344.8 -10.5

Labour market outcome by demographic groups

Healthy gains in 2021 lifted core‑age employment slightly above the pre-pandemic level

Jobs for core‑age workers (25‑54 years) increased by 197,400 (or 4.3 per cent) in 2021, bringing employment slighly above the 2019 pre-pandemic level. Core-age female workers saw larger job gains (113,200 or 5.2 per cent) compared to their male counterparts (84,200 or 3.5 per cent), with employment in both groups recovering above pre-pandemic levels. The unemployment rate among core‑age workers declined from 7.7 per cent in 2020 to 6.6 per cent in 2021, with female workers experiencing a sharper drop compared to males. The labour force participation rate among Ontario’s core-age workers rebounded to 86.9 per cent in 2021, the highest since 2005. The increase brought the participation rate among core-age female workers to 82.8 per cent, the highest on record.

Figure 4 Strong recovery in Ontario’s core-age employment in 2021

Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.

Accessible version
Year Employment Change (Thousands) Unemployment Rate (Per Cent)
1977 43.0 5.1
1978 90.3 5.4
1979 79.5 5.0
1980 68.6 5.1
1981 91.0 4.9
1982 -18.5 7.8
1983 70.6 8.4
1984 110.7 7.5
1985 128.6 6.6
1986 143.2 5.8
1987 137.6 5.2
1988 177.4 4.3
1989 131.4 4.4
1990 50.1 5.5
1991 -49.2 8.5
1992 -11.7 9.4
1993 44.5 9.7
1994 71.5 8.5
1995 89.1 7.7
1996 61.7 8.1
1997 117.9 7.0
1998 125.5 5.9
1999 87.8 5.2
2000 106.0 4.6
2001 64.7 5.2
2002 39.9 5.9
2003 70.5 5.7
2004 44.1 5.4
2005 21.7 5.4
2006 6.4 5.1
2007 4.3 5.3
2008 18.3 5.3
2009 -133.7 7.9
2010 33.9 7.4
2011 45.1 6.6
2012 5.8 6.5
2013 33.4 6.3
2014 -35.9 6.0
2015 3.7 5.6
2016 18.4 5.5
2017 38.3 5.1
2018 59.7 4.8
2019 106.4 4.6
2020 -175.2 7.7
2021 197.4 6.6

The vast majority (85.7 per cent) of employment gains for core-age workers were in full-time jobs (169,200 or 4.1 per cent), while the rest were in part-time positions (28,000 or 5.7 per cent). Nearly 60 per cent of the annual increase in core-age employment took place in educational services; professional, scientific and technical services; and wholesale and retail trade sectors.

Youth employment rises strongly but remains below pre-pandemic level

The pandemic‑related shutdowns had a pronounced impact on the province’s young workers (15‑24 years), who tend to have less labour market experience and be employed in less stable jobs. Despite record job gains (87,100 or 10.2 per cent) in 2021, youth employment in Ontario remained 6.9 per cent below 2019 levels. After reaching a historic peak of 22 per cent in 2020, the youth unemployment rate declined to a still-elevated 15.7 per cent in 2021. Although the labour force participation rate among young Ontarians recovered slightly in 2021 (+1.5 percentage points to 60.3 per cent), it was the second lowest on record.

Figure 5 Young Ontarians recovered just over half the jobs lost in 2020

Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.

Accessible version
Year Employment Change (Thousands) Unemployment Rate (Per Cent)
1977 18.9 12.4
1978 24.5 12.8
1979 56.4 11.6
1980 11.0 12.2
1981 18.8 11.9
1982 -77.7 16.7
1983 -8.6 17.3
1984 37.2 14.3
1985 20.3 12.5
1986 15.6 11.2
1987 18.5 9.5
1988 -3.2 7.9
1989 -16.6 7.7
1990 -62.3 10.0
1991 -100.5 15.1
1992 -54.0 17.7
1993 -32.3 17.7
1994 -3.8 15.7
1995 -2.7 14.7
1996 -2.2 14.9
1997 -16.1 16.5
1998 23.7 14.5
1999 52.4 13.2
2000 49.0 11.8
2001 8.9 12.5
2002 17.1 13.9
2003 19.1 14.4
2004 13.8 14.1
2005 -5.1 13.9
2006 34.2 12.9
2007 20.6 12.6
2008 -12.9 13.4
2009 -65.1 17.1
2010 -13.0 17.0
2011 32.4 15.5
2012 -29.5 16.6
2013 18.9 15.9
2014 13.2 15.2
2015 -8.2 14.3
2016 -5.9 13.7
2017 42.4 12.2
2018 22.4 11.8
2019 20.4 12.0
2020 -156.9 22.0
2021 87.1 15.7

Youth part-time employment grew at nearly twice the pace (13.8 per cent or 55,000) compared to full-time employment (7.0 per cent or 32,000) in 2021. Total employment among young females increased at a faster pace (11.5 per cent) compared to their male counterparts (8.9 per cent). Despite the stronger pace of job growth, employment among young female workers remained farther below 2019 levels (-7.3 per cent) compared to young male workers (-6.5 per cent).

By sector, the majority of the annual job gains for young Ontarians were driven by health care and social assistance, wholesale and retail trade, and accommodation and food services industries. Youth employment remained the farthest from pre-pandemic levels in the information, culture and recreation industry (-36.6 per cent).

Older worker unemployment rate reached highest in nearly three decades

Employment among Ontarians aged 55 years and over increased by 60,400 (or 3.8 per cent) in 2021, recovering above the 2019 pre-pandemic level. A strong increase in the number of entrants to the job market helped lift the labour force participation rate of older Ontarians to 38.5 per cent in 2021, the highest on record. With the increase in labour force entrants outpacing job gains, the unemployment rate among this group rose for the second consecutive year to 7.2 per cent, the highest in nearly three decades.

About two-thirds of the annual job gains for older workers took place in professional, scientific and technical services, and manufacturing. Part-time employment among older workers continued to decline (-11,800 or -3.5 per cent) in 2021, partly offsetting gains in full-time jobs (72,200 or 5.8 per cent). Unlike other age groups, older females saw a slower pace of employment gains (2.9 per cent) compared to their male counterparts (4.6 per cent) in 2021.

Figure 6 Summary of labour market outcomes for demographic groups

Note: Numbers may not add due to rounding.

Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.

Accessible version
Age and Gender
(Thousands)
Annual Employment Change in 2021
(Thousands)
Comparison to Pre-pandemic 2019
(Thousands)
Unemployment Rate
(Per Cent)
2019 2020 2021
Youth (15-24 years) 87.1 -69.8 12.0 22.0 15.7
Male 39.6 -33.8 12.9 21.8 16.3
Female 47.5 -36.0 11.0 22.2 15.0
Core (25-54 years) 197.4 22.2 4.6 7.7 6.6
Male 84.2 14.0 4.6 7.4 6.6
Female 113.2 8.3 4.6 8.1 6.6
Older (55 years and over) 60.4 37.1 4.2 7.0 7.2
Male 39.8 30.8 4.2 6.8 7.0
Female 20.6 6.3 4.2 7.2 7.5
Total 344.8 -10.5 5.6 9.6 8.0

Ontario’s industries saw uneven recovery from pandemic job losses

While a majority of industries in Ontario saw job gains in 2021, the pace of recovery has been uneven and employment in some of the hardest-hit sectors remained below 2019 levels.

Figure 7 Most industries saw jobs rebound in 2021, but employment in many remained below pre-pandemic levels

Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.

Accessible version
Industry Annual Employment Change in 2020
(Thousands)
Annual Employment Change in 2021
(Thousands)
Comparison to Pre-pandemic 2019
(Thousands)
Accommodation and food services -110.7 18.1 -92.6
Wholesale and retail trade -60.4 45.4 -15.0
Transportation and warehousing -38.2 15.4 -22.8
Health care and social assistance -30.5 48.7 18.2
Construction -25.2 19.2 -6.0
Educational services -25.0 30.5 5.5
Information, culture and recreation -24.9 31.9 7.0
Manufacturing -24.0 38.7 14.7
Business, building and other support services -17.7 -7.6 -25.3
Other services (except public administration) -13.6 -9.1 -22.7
Utilities -5.1 2.7 -2.4
Professional, scientific and technical services -3.2 73.7 70.5
Agriculture -3.2 -4.4 -7.6
Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas 1.0 -0.3 0.7
Public administration 8.8 23.8 32.6
Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing 16.8 18.1 34.9

Jobs in the services-producing sector grew by 289,000 (5.2 per cent) in 2021, with the annual employment level remaining just 0.2 per cent below 2019 levels. About two-fifths of the increase in service-sector employment was driven by industries where jobs can be performed remotely such as professional, scientific and technical services (73,700 or 11.1 per cent), public administration (23,800 or 6.2 per cent) and finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (18,100 or 3.0 per cent). These industries saw little to no job loss in the pandemic, and employment in these sectors is well above 2019 levels.

In contrast, employment did not recover to pre-pandemic levels in low-wage industries with close customer contact. Employment in 2021 increased for accommodation and food services (18,100 or 5.4 per cent), wholesale and retail trade (45,400 or 4.4 per cent) and transportation and warehousing (15,400 or 4.3 per cent) – the three hardest-hit industries in 2020. Even with these gains, employment remained below 2019 levels for these industries. Notably, employment in the accommodation and food services industry was the farthest from pre-pandemic levels (92,600 or 20.6 per cent below 2019 level). All job gains in the industry in 2021 were in part-time positions, while full-time employment continued to decline. Employment was below the pre-pandemic level to a smaller extent in wholesale and retail trade (1.4 per cent below 2019 level) and transportation and warehousing (5.8 per cent below 2019 level), reflecting in part a more optimistic business outlook in the sectors.[4]

Employment in 2021 increased in other industries that were highly affected by the pandemic, including health care and social assistance (48,700 or 5.6 per cent), educational services (30,500 or 5.9 per cent) and information, culture and recreation (31,900 or 11.7 per cent). These industries also saw employment rise above 2019 levels. Job gains in health care and social assistance were driven by a surge in employment related to strong demand for many assisting occupations.[5] The gain in educational services likely reflects the reopening of in-person teaching, while the resumed operation of sporting events and recreational facilities bolstered the recovery in the information, culture and recreation industry.[6]

Business, building and other support services (-7,600 or -2.6 per cent) posted a decline in employment in 2021, the third consecutive year of job loss, while the “other services”[7] sector (-9,100 or -3.2 per cent) recorded lower employment for the second straight year. The continuous decline in the business, building and other support services sector has been affected by ongoing teleworking of employees.

Ontario’s goods-producing sector saw employment grow by 55,900 (4.0 per cent) in 2021. Nearly 70 per cent of annual gains were driven by manufacturing (38,700 or 5.2 per cent), the only major goods-producing industry[8] to have employment above its 2019 levels. The agriculture industry recorded lower employment in 2021, the second consecutive annual job loss, reflecting in part a decline in the number of foreign workers entering Ontario through the Temporary Foreign Workers program.[9]

Most major Ontario cities saw job gains in 2021, but few have recovered to pre-pandemic levels

While most of Ontario’s Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs)[10] saw job gains in 2021, employment still trailed the 2019 pre-pandemic level for a majority of cities. Only five (London, Peterborough, Guelph, Toronto and Ottawa-Gatineau) of the 16 CMAs saw employment recover to the pre-pandemic annual level. Within these five CMAs, the pace of recovery varied substantially.

London was the only CMA to experience employment growth in both 2020 and 2021. Job gains in health care and social assistance, and educational services industries drove this growth, raising total employment in London 11.4 per cent above the 2019 level. Peterborough had the strongest pace (17.7 per cent) of job rebound in 2021 among the CMAs, lifting the city’s employment modestly above the 2019 level. Gains in professional, scientific and technical services helped Guelph employment rise above the pre-pandemic level by 1.3 per cent.

In 2021, jobs rebounded in the province’s two largest CMAs, leaving the employment level just above 2019. Ottawa’s employment gains were driven by public administration and construction, while Toronto’s were driven by higher employment in professional, scientific and technical services, and information, culture and recreation industries.

Despite job growth in 2021, employment in nearly all the other CMAs in Ontario remained below the 2019 level. On a proportional basis, the largest decline in employment over this period occurred in Greater Sudbury (5.6 per cent below 2019) and Brantford (5.1 per cent below 2019). This slow pace of recovery was concentrated among the largest employment sectors in these cities, including wholesale and retail trade, and health care and social assistance in Greater Sudbury, and manufacturing, and wholesale and retail trade in Brantford.

Figure 8 Employment in 11 Census Metropolitan Areas remained below the pre-pandemic level

*Based on total employment change from 2019 to 2021.

Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.

Accessible version
Census Metropolitan Area Annual Employment Change in 2021 (Per Cent) Comparison to Pre-pandemic 2019 (Per Cent) Industry with Slowest Recovery since 2019
Peterborough 17.7 1.8 Business, building and other
Windsor 10.7 -1.4 Information, culture and recreation
London 9.9 11.4 Manufacturing
Guelph 8.5 1.3 Wholesale and retail trade
Hamilton 6.1 -0.7 Manufacturing
Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario Part 5.7 0.1 Accommodation and food services
Toronto 5.3 0.2 Accommodation and food services
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo 5.0 -0.4 Construction
St. Catharines-Niagara 4.2 -2.7 Accommodation and food services
Thunder Bay 3.6 -2.6 Information, culture and recreation
Brantford 3.1 -5.1 Wholesale and retail trade
Oshawa 2.0 -1.6 Other services
Kingston 1.4 -3.1 Health care and social assistance
Belleville 1.4 -3.3 Business, building and other
Greater Sudbury 1.1 -5.6 Wholesale and retail trade
Barrie -2.6 -2.1 Business, building and other

Labour market performance of Ontario’s immigrant and visible minority population

Ontario’s recent immigrants saw strong rebound in employment

Figure 9 Employment among core-age immigrants rebounded strongly in 2021

Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.

Accessible version
Employment Change in 2021 (Per Cent) Employment Change since 2019 (Per Cent)
Recent immigrants 8.3 1.9
Long-term immigrants 7.4 0.0
Born in Canada 1.8 -0.5

After experiencing a sharper pace of employment loss in 2020, Ontario’s core-age (25-54) landed immigrants[11] had faster (7.6 per cent) employment growth in 2021 compared to their counterparts born in Canada (1.8 per cent). Job gains by landed immigrants represented nearly 60 per cent of the total employment increase for all core-age workers in 2021.

A strong job performance in 2021 lifted the employment of recent immigrants[12] 1.9 per cent above the 2019 pre-pandemic level. In contrast, long-term immigrants,[13] who represented a large majority of pre-pandemic total immigrant employment in Ontario, saw a much slower recovery with essentially no job gains over the same period. Employment among those born in Canada remained modestly below pre-pandemic levels (0.5 per cent lower).

The unemployment rate of Ontario’s visible minority population declined

Figure 10 Unemployment rate continued to decline among visible minority population

Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.

Accessible version
Date Visible minority (Per Cent) Not Indigenous or a visible minority (Per Cent)
Jul-20 17.4 9.5
Aug-20 16.1 9.9
Sep-20 13.2 7.2
Oct-20 13.0 6.7
Nov-20 10.7 7.0
Dec-20 10.1 7.7
Jan-21 12.1 9.1
Feb-21 10.0 8.5
Mar-21 9.7 7.2
Apr-21 10.6 8.1
May-21 13.1 7.8
Jun-21 11.0 6.8
Jul-21 11.2 7.4
Aug-21 10.8 7.5
Sep-21 8.5 6.1
Oct-21 9.0 4.8
Nov-21 7.9 4.5
Dec-21 7.4 4.0

The unemployment rate among Ontario’s visible minority population trended lower throughout 2021, in tandem with the decline experienced by all other workers. Since July 2020,[14] the unemployment rate of Ontario’s visible minority population declined from 17.4 per cent to 7.4 per cent in December 2021. Over the same period, the unemployment rate of Ontarians who do not identify as indigenous or a visible minority declined from 9.5 per cent to 4.0 per cent. As a result, the unemployment rate gap between visible minority workers and all others narrowed from 7.9 percentage points in July 2020 to 3.4 percentage points in December 2021.

All provinces experienced employment growth in 2021

On an average annual basis, all provinces experienced employment gains in 2021. Ontario (4.9 per cent) recorded the fourth largest pace of job gains, trailing British Columbia (6.6 per cent), Nova Scotia (5.4 per cent) and Alberta (5.1 per cent).

Figure 11 Ontario experienced the fourth fastest pace of job gains among all the provinces in 2021

Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.

Accessible version
Province Annual Employment Change in 2021
(Per Cent)
Comparison to Pre-pandemic 2019
(Per Cent)
British Columbia 6.6 -0.4
Nova Scotia 5.4 0.5
Alberta 5.1 -1.8
Ontario 4.9 -0.1
Quebec 4.1 -0.9
Manitoba 3.6 -0.3
Prince Edward Island 3.5 0.3
Newfoundland and Labrador 2.9 -3.0
Saskatchewan 2.6 -2.2
New Brunswick 2.5 -0.2
Canada 4.8 -0.6

On an annual average basis, 2021 employment in most provinces remained below the pre-pandemic 2019 level. Only two provinces – Prince Edward Island (0.3 per cent) and Nova Scotia (0.5 per cent) – saw higher employment compared to 2019. Ontario ranked third in terms of employment recovery compared to 2019, with jobs remaining 0.1 per cent lower. The job recovery pace was particularly slow in Newfoundland and Labrador (-3.0 per cent), Saskatchewan (-2.2 per cent) and Alberta (-1.8 per cent).

The lingering effects of the pandemic continue to cause labour market challenges

Long-term unemployment elevated

  • Even though Ontario’s total employment recovered very close to pre-pandemic levels, the share of unemployed individuals who did not have a job for six months or longer climbed to its highest point since the early 1990s.
  • Over 28 per cent of the total unemployed Ontarians remained out of work for six months or longer. More than half of this group were unemployed for a year or longer.
  • Long-term detachment from the labour market can result in skill erosion and make reemployment more difficult for job searchers. This could also slow the overall recovery in the labour market.[15]

Shifting skill requirements

  • Since 2019, employment gains have been concentrated in positions that usually require a university education (8.3 per cent or 196,900) while losses were observed in occupations that usually require less education.[16]
  • Within specific occupations that saw strong job growth since 2019, the importance of “softer skills” such as active learning, reading comprehension, writing, complex problem solving, as well as specialized technical skills like programming and operations analysis increased.[17]
  • A shift in demand for these skills could put Ontarians with lower education levels or fewer resources to upgrade their skills at a higher risk of job displacement.[18]

Job growth slow in some sectors despite record vacancies

  • Employers in several industries have faced increased challenges in hiring new workers, resulting in sharply higher job vacancies coupled with weak employment growth in 2021.
  • Despite record job vacancies, accommodation and food services had the slowest employment growth since 2019. This could partly reflect workers switching to other industries amid health concerns and repeated pandemic-related restrictions that have affected business operations.[19] Imbalances in other sectors could reflect skill shortages or geographic mismatch between vacancies and workers.[20]
  • Small businesses could face heightened hiring challenges, especially in accommodation and food services.[21] Persistent labour shortages could be detrimental to productivity and competitiveness in the broader economy.

Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.

Accessible version

Long-term unemployment elevated

Year Long-term unemployed as a share of total unemployed(Per Cent)
1976 11.2
1977 13.4
1978 15.5
1979 13.9
1980 13.9
1981 14.2
1982 16.4
1983 25.7
1984 22.5
1985 19.6
1986 18.0
1987 16.8
1988 12.8
1989 13.1
1990 13.7
1991 22.5
1992 29.9
1993 33.5
1994 32.6
1995 29.5
1996 28.3
1997 25.4
1998 21.9
1999 19.1
2000 15.4
2001 12.8
2002 15.5
2003 16.2
2004 15.5
2005 15.1
2006 14.4
2007 13.1
2008 13.8
2009 18.8
2010 24.9
2011 24.3
2012 22.8
2013 23.1
2014 22.9
2015 20.0
2016 20.0
2017 19.5
2018 16.9
2019 15.0
2020 14.7
2021 28.3

Shifting skill requirement

Change in Employment among Occupation Groups by Educational Requirements, 2019 to 2021 (Per Cent)
University education 8.3
College or apprenticeship -0.3
Secondary school or occupation training -7.5

Job growth slow in some sectors despite record vacancies

Industry Change in Job Vacancies from Q3 2019 to Q3 2021 (Per Cent)
Agriculture and other primary 5.9
Other services 26.2
Wholesale and retail trade 36.0
Utilities 36.3
Educational services 40.1
Transportation and warehousing 43.7
Business, building and other 46.3
Finance, insurance, real estate 48.5
Information, culture and recreation 53.5
Public administration 69.3
Health care and social assistance 71.2
Professional, scientific and technical 73.3
Manufacturing 75.9
Construction 82.4
Accommodation and food services 151.0

Update on January 2022 labour market

Since early 2020, the pace of job growth in Ontario has been highly affected by the pandemic, with significant job losses during lockdowns followed by rapid gains as the economy reopened. The swift spread of the Omicron variant prompted the Ontario government to enact select restrictions in January 2022. As a result, employment fell sharply in January, down 145,700 (or -1.9 per cent) compared to December, while the unemployment rate jumped from 6.1 per cent to 7.3 per cent.

With the reopening of the economy underway in February, employment is expected to rebound quickly in coming months. Statistics Canada’s report on February labour market data will be released on March 11.

Figure 12 Monthly employment change highly affected by COVID-19 cases

Note: Actual number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases during the Omicron wave is likely higher than reported due to testing difficulties. Waves in this chart are defined by virus outbreaks that prompted the government to enact restrictions.

Source: Statistics Canada, Ontario Data Catalogue and FAO.

Accessible version
Date Confirmed Positive COVID-19 Cases (Thousands) Change in Employment (Thousands)
Jan-20 0.0 19.2
Feb-20 0.0 3.3
Mar-20 0.4 -398.5
Apr-20 4.1 -690.9
May-20 3.9 -33.2
Jun-20 2.8 365.0
Jul-20 1.6 147.1
Aug-20 1.1 114.8
Sep-20 2.6 173.0
Oct-20 6.2 27.3
Nov-20 11.4 26.0
Dec-20 17.6 7.7
Jan-21 25.7 -147.8
Feb-21 12.7 112.4
Mar-21 13.5 170.8
Apr-21 35.0 -153.7
May-21 26.2 -8.5
Jun-21 5.5 105.1
Jul-21 1.6 56.5
Aug-21 3.7 48.5
Sep-21 6.0 83.5
Oct-21 3.9 29.6
Nov-21 4.8 57.4
Dec-21 27.7 52.5
Jan-22 97.2 -145.7

Appendix

Ontario’s long-term unemployed individuals

Note: Numbers in parenthesis show the proportion of long-term unemployment in each group. Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.
Ontario's long-term unemployed 2019
(Thousands)
2021
(Thousands)
Change from 2019 to 2021
(Thousands)
Change from 2019 to 2021
(Per Cent)
Total 66.1 181.5 115.4 174.6
By duration of unemployment
For 6 months to less than 1 year 31.0
(46.9%)
76.6
(42.2%)
45.6 147.1
For 1 year 16.2 44.7 28.5 175.9
(24.5%) (24.6%)
For more than 1 year 18.9 60.3 41.4 219.0
(28.6%) (33.2%)
By gender
Males 36.9 103.9 67.0 181.6
(55.8%) (57.2%)
Females 29.2 77.6 48.4 165.8
(44.2%) (42.8%)
By age group
Youth (15-24 years) 8.9 28.9 20.0 224.7
(13.5%) (15.9%)

Core (25-54 years)

39.2 104.7 65.5 167.1
(59.3%) (57.7%)
Older (55 years and over) 18.0 47.9 29.9 166.1
(27.2%) (26.4%)

Monthly employment trend in 2020-2021 by demographic groups

Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.

Accessible version
Males (Thousands) Females (Thousands)
Years Month 15 to 24 years 25 to 54 years 55 years and over 15 to 24 years 25 to 54 years 55 years and over
2020
Jan 509.8 2,496.2 914.8 513.5 2,292.9 764.0
Feb 512.8 2,506.2 920.9 507.6 2,286.2 761.0
Mar 448.2 2,449.1 893.3 408.6 2,164.8 732.1
Apr 359.7 2,232.1 828.4 325.7 2,001.7 657.7
May 355.7 2,228.0 831.6 310.7 1,990.8 655.3
Jun 413.2 2,364.2 855.2 330.5 2,105.6 668.3
Jul 416.5 2,369.5 865.4 394.1 2,149.9 688.6
Aug 419.6 2,403.6 868.3 409.7 2,184.4 713.4
Sep 475.2 2,443.0 875.8 438.8 2,232.4 706.7
Oct 488.4 2,440.8 874.5 433.5 2,253.8 708.3
Nov 489.0 2,458.3 868.5 440.1 2,237.7 731.6
Dec 496.7 2,432.8 899.2 440.0 2,232.4 731.7
2021
Jan 445.1 2,407.3 900.5 403.6 2,205.0 723.6
Feb 467.8 2,439.2 904.7 408.8 2,244.6 732.3
Mar 498.7 2,475.1 923.0 435.9 2,265.0 770.5
Apr 462.1 2,460.3 913.7 399.8 2,239.9 738.8
May 447.8 2,460.2 914.5 397.9 2,257.2 728.5
Jun 475.4 2,466.6 906.7 449.7 2,278.0 734.8
Jul 494.0 2,478.9 901.6 473.4 2,301.8 718.0
Aug 497.6 2,475.4 915.0 494.5 2,315.4 718.4
Sep 501.3 2,509.9 914.4 514.2 2,337.0 723.0
Oct 518.8 2,525.2 928.6 511.8 2,331.6 713.3
Nov 503.9 2,553.9 930.2 512.9 2,360.9 725.0
Dec 518.8 2,577.9 927.8 516.5 2,368.6 729.7

Monthly employment trend in 2020-2021 by job types

Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.

Accessible version
Full-time employment (Thousands) Part-time employment (Thousands)
Years Month 15 to 24 years 25 to 54 years 55 years and over 15 to 24 years 25 to 54 years 55 years and over
2020
Jan 537.8 4,275.3 1,303.9 485.5 513.8 374.8
Feb 525.8 4,291.7 1,318.8 494.5 500.6 363.1
Mar 491.7 4,147.3 1,257.8 365.1 466.6 367.6
Apr 409.9 3,828.0 1,182.0 275.5 405.8 304.0
May 401.1 3,802.3 1,201.8 265.4 416.4 285.1
Jun 418.6 4,002.7 1,200.9 325.1 467.2 322.6
Jul 418.3 4,004.7 1,214.7 392.3 514.7 339.3
Aug 420.9 4,066.9 1,238.4 408.4 521.0 343.3
Sep 471.8 4,162.2 1,253.7 442.2 513.2 328.8
Oct 491.2 4,150.6 1,251.2 430.7 544.0 331.5
Nov 503.0 4,173.3 1,269.7 426.1 522.7 330.3
Dec 495.9 4,160.8 1,307.1 440.8 504.5 323.8
2021
Jan 504.5 4,152.0 1,307.4 344.3 460.3 316.6
Feb 492.8 4,202.0 1,312.2 383.8 481.8 324.8
Mar 499.2 4,242.0 1,362.9 435.5 498.1 330.6
Apr 451.6 4,204.9 1,319.4 410.3 495.3 333.1
May 452.6 4,208.7 1,324.5 393.0 508.8 318.5
Jun 471.7 4,207.6 1,320.2 453.4 537.0 321.2
Jul 470.2 4,254.3 1,299.7 497.1 526.4 319.9
Aug 482.2 4,232.6 1,303.8 510.0 558.2 329.5
Sep 528.4 4,320.5 1,312.4 487.0 526.3 325.0
Oct 524.0 4,307.9 1,323.3 506.6 548.9 318.6
Nov 513.7 4,374.6 1,325.2 503.0 540.2 330.1
Dec 528.8 4,402.9 1,327.7 506.4 543.6 329.8

Monthly employment trend in 2020-2021 by industry

Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.

Accessible version
Industry Month 2020 (Thousands) 2021 (Thousands)
Accommodation and food services
Jan 454.6 286.4
Feb 444.6 323.6
Mar 325.0 329.6
Apr 224.3 306.0
May 240.8 326.1
Jun 283.3 341.8
Jul 298.8 362.0
Aug 333.7 412.8
Sep 386.5 399.1
Oct 378.6 402.6
Nov 361.5 392.6
Dec 338.8 391.5
Agriculture
Jan 78.1 68.9
Feb 78.3 60.2
Mar 72.1 64.9
Apr 73.0 68.9
May 69.1 72.4
Jun 71.4 71.2
Jul 73.2 69.4
Aug 70.1 70.2
Sep 67.7 64.7
Oct 67.4 67.2
Nov 70.3 67.0
Dec 72.2 63.5
Business, building and other support services
Jan 324.6 274.6
Feb 328.6 276.7
Mar 326.5 283.3
Apr 296.7 275.6
May 267.9 281.3
Jun 291.8 286.4
Jul 287.2 294.2
Aug 288.8 292.8
Sep 281.1 298.0
Oct 283.2 291.2
Nov 292.4 293.3
Dec 279.0 297.4
Construction
Jan 555.8 531.8
Feb 561.1 530.9
Mar 553.1 542.0
Apr 458.6 537.1
May 460.1 527.7
Jun 503.3 535.7
Jul 512.5 522.6
Aug 493.7 533.1
Sep 502.9 535.7
Oct 511.6 533.1
Nov 531.2 541.0
Dec 538.8 544.5
Educational services
Jan 548.2 532.2
Feb 543.1 541.7
Mar 515.9 570.6
Apr 489.7 524.1
May 473.4 532.3
Jun 488.3 532.9
Jul 483.8 537.4
Aug 511.6 559.9
Sep 532.4 562.7
Oct 529.4 556.3
Nov 530.2 554.7
Dec 533.8 563.6
Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing
Jan 599.0 634.8
Feb 603.1 631.9
Mar 604.1 630.3
Apr 594.7 633.8
May 602.5 624.8
Jun 605.0 610.8
Jul 603.9 613.5
Aug 596.0 598.7
Sep 614.1 622.5
Oct 612.2 627.3
Nov 623.4 634.6
Dec 629.1 641.3
Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas
Jan 34.6 34.9
Feb 34.7 35.5
Mar 32.9 35.7
Apr 33.5 34.7
May 35.6 35.0
Jun 34.5 36.8
Jul 39.6 35.4
Aug 35.8 34.9
Sep 38.5 36.1
Oct 37.9 37.0
Nov 38.4 36.6
Dec 36.2 38.7
Health care and social assistance
Jan 918.1 901.9
Feb 918.8 902.9
Mar 863.0 915.7
Apr 829.2 910.5
May 812.6 916.2
Jun 840.4 924.6
Jul 857.3 921.8
Aug 878.4 916.4
Sep 879.9 929.0
Oct 881.5 912.0
Nov 881.3 936.9
Dec 888.2 933.4
Information, culture and recreation
Jan 300.6 266.8
Feb 301.0 282.1
Mar 267.5 313.7
Apr 239.3 297.7
May 233.3 281.3
Jun 261.2 284.8
Jul 259.6 281.2
Aug 274.2 299.9
Sep 282.7 327.5
Oct 286.1 335.2
Nov 282.2 341.2
Dec 284.1 338.9
Manufacturing
Jan 754.6 778.9
Feb 761.8 791.1
Mar 725.0 785.5
Apr 626.8 776.2
May 648.0 762.7
Jun 716.3 763.7
Jul 726.1 786.8
Aug 738.8 766.1
Sep 793.3 764.8
Oct 784.6 772.1
Nov 785.7 776.7
Dec 792.3 788.2
Other services (except public administration)
Jan 304.1 289.3
Feb 306.0 287.5
Mar 285.7 292.2
Apr 244.8 288.8
May 247.3 276.8
Jun 253.7 283.9
Jul 278.5 285.9
Aug 292.5 265.9
Sep 307.7 258.7
Oct 302.4 273.8
Nov 303.2 252.7
Dec 294.1 256.5
Professional, scientific and technical services
Jan 688.1 703.2
Feb 670.7 712.5
Mar 677.9 713.5
Apr 652.3 715.0
May 632.9 731.4
Jun 622.9 746.7
Jul 643.4 741.1
Aug 653.4 752.9
Sep 667.2 771.3
Oct 689.4 753.2
Nov 684.8 766.4
Dec 694.9 764.3
Public administration
Jan 384.7 390.4
Feb 389.0 388.7
Mar 387.6 386.1
Apr 375.7 399.4
May 379.7 400.9
Jun 377.1 415.5
Jul 378.4 407.7
Aug 381.0 407.6
Sep 385.4 422.4
Oct 379.9 413.3
Nov 379.7 418.8
Dec 388.5 420.3
Transportation and warehousing
Jan 394.6 357.6
Feb 397.9 362.2
Mar 387.6 366.6
Apr 345.6 368.5
May 340.2 381.8
Jun 348.4 369.6
Jul 347.4 373.2
Aug 348.8 371.5
Sep 354.1 379.0
Oct 335.8 378.5
Nov 342.1 382.8
Dec 351.3 385.6
Utilities
Jan 55.8 49.4
Feb 54.0 51.4
Mar 47.9 52.0
Apr 49.3 50.6
May 48.8 50.9
Jun 50.1 50.9
Jul 48.7 55.4
Aug 49.3 53.4
Sep 51.9 52.7
Oct 51.5 57.7
Nov 50.1 55.8
Dec 49.7 58.5
Wholesale and retail trade
Jan 1,096.0 983.9
Feb 1,102.0 1,018.6
Mar 1,024.3 1,086.7
Apr 871.7 1,027.8
May 879.8 1,004.4
Jun 989.4 1,055.8
Jul 1,045.7 1,080.2
Aug 1,052.8 1,080.2
Sep 1,026.5 1,075.6
Oct 1,067.8 1,118.9
Nov 1,068.8 1,135.7
Dec 1,062.1 1,153.0

Monthly employment trend in 2020-2021 by Ontario’s Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs)

Note: Monthly figures for CMAs are three-month moving averages, seasonally adjusted.

Source: Statistics Canada and FAO.

Accessible version
CMA Month 2020 (Thousands) 2021 (Thousands)
Barrie, Ontario
Jan 125.2 108.4
Feb 128.7 108.0
Mar 125.6 109.5
Apr 119.4 111.2
May 112.7 112.9
Jun 114.0 113.0
Jul 118.0 115.5
Aug 119.2 114.5
Sep 117.6 116.6
Oct 116.6 118.0
Nov 114.8 120.0
Dec 112.9 117.8
Belleville, Ontario
Jan 55.7 53.4
Feb 58.2 55.0
Mar 53.5 52.6
Apr 47.3 50.6
May 43.8 48.3
Jun 43.9 43.2
Jul 43.3 44.8
Aug 43.1 47.0
Sep 46.8 50.5
Oct 50.7 48.0
Nov 51.6 48.7
Dec 53.1 53.9
Brantford, Ontario
Jan 75.5 72.9
Feb 73.5 73.2
Mar 71.9 75.5
Apr 69.0 76.6
May 68.4 75.8
Jun 68.5 73.9
Jul 71.0 74.0
Aug 72.1 74.1
Sep 73.6 73.7
Oct 74.3 73.4
Nov 74.6 73.3
Dec 74.0 73.3
Greater Sudbury, Ontario
Jan 86.9 80.5
Feb 87.9 80.3
Mar 86.1 81.0
Apr 81.8 81.7
May 77.9 82.2
Jun 76.5 82.1
Jul 78.2 80.8
Aug 79.5 80.9
Sep 80.1 81.3
Oct 80.7 82.6
Nov 81.2 83.6
Dec 81.1 84.0
Guelph, Ontario
Jan 86.7 85.0
Feb 86.9 86.1
Mar 87.1 88.8
Apr 84.2 90.8
May 81.8 92.0
Jun 81.0 90.5
Jul 83.0 91.8
Aug 85.1 92.6
Sep 86.0 94.0
Oct 86.9 94.2
Nov 86.5 94.9
Dec 85.9 96.4
Hamilton, Ontario
Jan 413.7 396.4
Feb 413.3 398.4
Mar 407.7 404.1
Apr 389.7 409.7
May 366.1 408.8
Jun 360.0 405.1
Jul 369.9 403.7
Aug 380.6 410.0
Sep 379.0 416.3
Oct 375.7 416.8
Nov 384.1 413.3
Dec 391.6 412.2
Kingston, Ontario
Jan 82.4 84.1
Feb 83.1 84.2
Mar 81.3 83.8
Apr 77.2 83.0
May 73.7 80.4
Jun 74.6 78.6
Jul 77.5 78.5
Aug 79.8 80.1
Sep 80.4 80.6
Oct 81.2 81.2
Nov 82.3 81.4
Dec 83.7 81.8
Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ontario
Jan 327.6 312.5
Feb 331.9 313.7
Mar 329.4 314.0
Apr 312.3 317.4
May 293.7 319.1
Jun 285.1 321.4
Jul 289.6 320.7
Aug 295.0 321.0
Sep 299.0 320.1
Oct 303.3 323.5
Nov 306.7 327.9
Dec 310.9 330.3
London, Ontario
Jan 269.1 267.5
Feb 269.4 271.4
Mar 266.1 273.5
Apr 249.8 277.3
May 238.2 279.2
Jun 236.1 280.6
Jul 248.0 282.5
Aug 256.1 284.8
Sep 261.3 285.9
Oct 261.5 288.3
Nov 262.1 290.3
Dec 265.1 292.3
Oshawa, Ontario
Jan 207.3 206.1
Feb 210.6 204.9
Mar 209.8 204.3
Apr 205.2 204.5
May 197.3 202.8
Jun 191.9 201.9
Jul 195.0 204.1
Aug 200.7 205.9
Sep 207.6 210.5
Oct 212.2 213.9
Nov 212.7 219.8
Dec 211.7 221.5
Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario part, Ontario/Quebec
Jan 600.9 569.8
Feb 591.9 581.1
Mar 577.7 587.7
Apr 557.0 593.7
May 540.4 596.7
Jun 532.2 601.2
Jul 541.8 602.7
Aug 548.3 597.4
Sep 559.0 588.4
Oct 556.7 581.8
Nov 558.8 579.9
Dec 559.9 579.3
Peterborough, Ontario
Jan 57.5 55.1
Feb 57.9 57.2
Mar 56.3 60.1
Apr 53.7 63.1
May 50.4 66.3
Jun 51.2 65.9
Jul 51.5 65.7
Aug 52.1 63.7
Sep 52.5 64.1
Oct 53.2 64.3
Nov 53.0 64.6
Dec 54.2 62.5
St. Catharines-Niagara, Ontario
Jan 209.5 187.0
Feb 209.2 184.1
Mar 200.8 189.2
Apr 189.8 195.2
May 177.4 197.0
Jun 175.2 191.6
Jul 178.3 192.3
Aug 185.4 197.6
Sep 191.2 206.3
Oct 197.5 209.5
Nov 198.3 208.2
Dec 195.5 206.4
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Jan 63.8 59.8
Feb 64.1 59.4
Mar 62.5 59.5
Apr 59.0 60.1
May 55.4 60.5
Jun 54.2 60.8
Jul 55.4 60.9
Aug 57.1 61.1
Sep 58.6 61.1
Oct 59.7 61.4
Nov 60.3 62.1
Dec 60.4 62.8
Toronto, Ontario
Jan 3,440.8 3,299.0
Feb 3,455.5 3,272.3
Mar 3,395.1 3,283.4
Apr 3,220.6 3,296.1
May 3,020.1 3,297.3
Jun 2,951.4 3,304.6
Jul 3,003.6 3,341.0
Aug 3,118.4 3,402.6
Sep 3,206.6 3,446.7
Oct 3,286.0 3,483.6
Nov 3,334.2 3,513.1
Dec 3,331.2 3,539.2
Windsor, Ontario
Jan 166.3 152.7
Feb 168.4 154.8
Mar 162.8 163.0
Apr 149.3 166.0
May 137.6 165.5
Jun 138.3 163.2
Jul 148.7 163.3
Aug 155.1 164.6
Sep 155.9 164.1
Oct 155.1 168.0
Nov 155.1 175.4
Dec 152.2 183.5

Footnotes

[1] See Appendix for monthly employment trends for various demographic groups, industries and major cities of Ontario.

[2] Based on the current Labour Force Survey (LFS) going back to 1976.

[3] See Youth employment rises strongly but remains below pre-pandemic level section below.

[4] In the fourth quarter of 2021, a greater proportion of Ontario businesses in wholesale and retail trade and transportation and warehousing industries had a somewhat to very optimistic business outlook over the next 12 months compared to accommodation and food services, according to Statistics Canada’s Canadian Survey on Business Conditions.

[5] Within health occupations in Ontario, the annual average employment in assisting occupations in support of health services such as dental assistant, laboratory assistant, nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates, and pharmacy technical assistants, grew by 16 per cent in 2021, the fastest pace of annual growth compared to other health occupations.

[6] For details, see Labour Force Survey, September 2021.

[7] “Other services” includes repair and maintenance; personal and laundry services; religious, grant-making, civic and professional services; and private household services. For details, see North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Canada 2017 Version 3.0.

[8] Employment also recovered above the pre-pandemic level in the forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas industry, which employs 0.5 per cent of Ontario workers.

[9] See Agriculture and agri-food labour statistics, 2020 and The Canadian Agriculture Industry: What Are the Impacts of and Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic?

[10] Ontario cities included in this report are based on Statistics Canada’s Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs). Statistics Canada defines a CMA as a large population centre together with adjacent fringe and rural areas that have a high degree of social and economic integration with the centres. A CMA must have a population of at least 100,000. CMA employment data is based on where employees live and not the location of their workplace.

[11] According to Statistics Canada, a landed immigrant is a person who has been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities. Canadian citizens by birth and non-permanent residents (persons from another country who live in Canada and have a work or study permit, or are claiming refugee status, as well as family members living here with them) are not landed immigrants.

[12] Recent immigrants refer to immigrants who landed in Canada 5 or less years earlier and those who landed more than 5 to 10 years earlier.

[13] Long-term immigrants refers to immigrants who landed in Canada more than 10 years earlier. This group represented nearly 70 per cent of the pre-pandemic total landed immigrant employment in Ontario.

[14] Earliest data available, not seasonally adjusted.

[15] See Ontario’s long-term unemployed individuals section in the Appendix and Canadian Labour Market Dynamics During COVID-19.

[16] Occupations were classified based on National Occupational Classification (NOC) matrix.

[17] See Labour Force Survey, December 2021.

[18] See Canadian Labour Market Dynamics During COVID-19. For a discussion on reskilling activities of displaced workers, see Fine tuning or re-skilling? Educational strategies of prime-aged displaced workers.

[19] According to indeed hiring lab, by mid-June 2021, job seekers with the most recent experience in the sector are looking for jobs in other sectors such as administrative assistance, marketing and installation and maintenance.

[20] See Job vacancies, third quarter 2021.

[21] Almost all (99 per cent) of the businesses in the accommodation and food services industry in Ontario are small business with less than 100 employees. See Canadian Business Counts, with employees, June 2021.