Ontario construction unemployment rate edges up

.

The annual Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS) Contractor Survey has found that construction employment contracted -4.1 per cent year-over-year in March while the labour force fell at a slower rate of -1.6 per cent year-over-year.

The unemployment rate to rose to 9.5 per cent, a level which was more typical for March in the years before 2019. Employment for women fell a sharp -16 per cent year-over-year, and for men, it fell at -2 per cent year-over-year.

March employment was down -4.1 per cent year-over-year. In comparison, the year-over-year contraction in the labour force was lower at -1.6 per cent.

Employment also softened month-over-month, but the labour force increased slightly. This led to a jump in the unemployment rate from 7.5 per cent in February to 9.5 per cent in March.

This is the highest construction unemployment rate for March since 2017, and similar to levels in 2018 and 2019. Ontario overall unemployment rate sat at 7.8 per cent, a number that may rise with the implementation of auto tariffs and rising uncertainty.

Women’s employment decreased -16 per cent year-over-year with the drop concentrated heavily in the 55+ age category, while men’s employment fell by -2 per cent year-over-year. On the other end, employment for youth increased 16.8 per cent year-over-year.