Unemployment in Ontario is the measure indicating the number of Ontarians "without work, are available for work, and are actively seeking work". [1] The rate of unemployment is measured by Statistics Canada using a Labour Force Survey. In September 2018 approximately 452,900 people were deemed unemployed in Ontario. With an Unemployment rate of roughly 5.9% Ontario is even with the Canada's overall unemployment level. The Unemployment rate is quite stable from month to month with an approximate 0.2% fluctuation. Since 2013 Ontario's Unemployment rate has dropped 2.0%.
As of 2018, the majority of individuals unemployed in Ontario were between the ages of 25 and 54. [2] This reflects the fact that most of Ontario's workers - 64% of the overall labour force as of 2018 - are in the 25 to 54 demographic. [3] Yet while 25-54 year-olds make up the majority of the unemployed, as of 2018 they had the lowest unemployment rate of any demographic, at 5.0 percent. The 15 to 24 year-old age group has the highest unemployment rate at 12.2% (2018). [4]
| Age Group | Sep-17 | Sep-18 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 to 24 years | Seasonally adjusted (percentage) | 10.6 | 12.2 |
| 25 to 54 years | Seasonally adjusted (percentage) | 5.2 | 5 |
| 55 years and over | Seasonally adjusted (percentage) | 3.9 | 4.2 |
As of 2018, men and women in Ontario experienced comparable unemployment rates of approximately six percent. Unemployment rose between September, 2017 and September, 2018, with a larger increase in unemployment being experienced by females. [6]
| Sex | Sep-17 | Sep-18 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Both sexes | Seasonally adjusted (percentage) | 5.7 | 5.9 |
| Males | Seasonally adjusted (percentage) | 6.1 | 5.8 |
| Females | Seasonally adjusted (percentage) | 5.2 | 6 |
Immigrants, especially recent immigrants, face challenges with unemployment. [8] Inuit and First Nations people also have higher rates of unemployment. [9]
In recent years following the Great Recession, regions or cities such as Windsor, Oshawa, London and Peterborough, heavily dependent on auto manufacturing have been severely impacted by unemployment. In December 2013 Toronto proper unemployment rate deteriorated to 10.1%. [10]
Issues related to creating employment involve many socio-political-economic-environmental factors and complexities. In Ontario, center and left leaning governments have supported strong infrastructure building and social safety net policies while right leaning governments have pursued lower taxes and government spending policies. Regardless of government policies external factors such as Global recession, change in technologies, lower labour costs and lack of strong regulations in developing countries impact unemployment in Ontario.
Canada has a federal Employment Insurance system which covers workers for several months immediately after they lose work. Ontario also provides various social assistance services for those in need.
Stable political and social systems, corruption free and efficient government operations, quality education, health, transportation, energy, information and communication, water and sanitation and financial systems help create employment and improve private sector productivity. According to The Economic Impact of Ontario’s Infrastructure Investment Program report published by Conference Board of Canada, "Economic activity linked to these investments supports employment in the province – on average 167,000 jobs per year are due to infrastructure spending. What is less obvious, but just as crucial, is that infrastructure boosts private-sector productivity, adding about $1,000 per year to the income of every Ontarian". [11]
Skills training and promotion of trades through apprenticeship programs has been identified as a main component in closing Ontario's skills gap, thus better matching available employment opportunities with the labour force. [12]
Education and University systems that foster and incubate innovation, entrepreneurship and self-employment have been identified as a growth area for Ontario to help reduce unemployment. [13]
Unemployment, according to the OECD, is people above a specified age not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the reference period.
Full employment is a situation in which there is no cyclical or deficient-demand unemployment. Full employment does not entail the disappearance of all unemployment, as other kinds of unemployment, namely structural and frictional, may remain. For instance, workers who are "between jobs" for short periods of time as they search for better employment are not counted against full employment, as such unemployment is frictional rather than cyclical. An economy with full employment might also have unemployment or underemployment where part-time workers cannot find jobs appropriate to their skill level, as such unemployment is considered structural rather than cyclical. Full employment marks the point past which expansionary fiscal and/or monetary policy cannot reduce unemployment any further without causing inflation.
Unemployment benefits, also called unemployment insurance, unemployment payment, unemployment compensation, or simply unemployment, are payments made by authorized bodies to unemployed people. In the United States, benefits are funded by a compulsory governmental insurance system, not taxes on individual citizens. Depending on the jurisdiction and the status of the person, those sums may be small, covering only basic needs, or may compensate the lost time proportionally to the previous earned salary.
In economics, a discouraged worker is a person of legal employment age who is not actively seeking employment or who has not found employment after long-term unemployment, but who would prefer to be working. This is usually because an individual has given up looking, hence the term "discouraged".
The economies of Canada and the United States are similar because both are developed countries. While both countries feature in the top ten economies in the world in 2022, the U.S. is the largest economy in the world, with US$24.8 trillion, with Canada ranking ninth at US$2.2 trillion.
The early 1990s recession describes the period of economic downturn affecting much of the Western world in the early 1990s. The impacts of the recession contributed in part to the 1992 U.S. presidential election victory of Bill Clinton over incumbent president George H. W. Bush. The recession also included the resignation of Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, the reduction of active companies by 15% and unemployment up to nearly 20% in Finland, civil disturbances in the United Kingdom and the growth of discount stores in the United States and beyond.
A NEET, an acronym for "Not in Education, Employment, or Training", is a person who is unemployed and not receiving an education or vocational training. The classification originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1990s, and its use has spread, in varying degrees, to other countries, including Japan, South Korea, China, Serbia, Canada, and the United States. The NEET category includes the unemployed, as well as individuals outside the labour force. It is usually age-bounded to exclude people in old-age retirement.
Graduate unemployment, or educated unemployment, is unemployment among people with an academic degree.
The economy of Ontario is diversified. Ontario is the largest economy in Canada, making up around 38% of Canadian GDP. Though manufacturing plays an important role in Ontario's economy responsible for 12.6% of Ontario's GDP, the service sector makes up the bulk, 77.9%, of the economy. Ontario's net debt-to-GDP ratio will rise to 40.7% in the year 2019–2020.
Somali Canadians are Canadians of Somali origin or are dual Somali and Canadian nationality.
Unemployment in the United States discusses the causes and measures of U.S. unemployment and strategies for reducing it. Job creation and unemployment are affected by factors such as economic conditions, global competition, education, automation, and demographics. These factors can affect the number of workers, the duration of unemployment, and wage levels.
Job losses caused by the Great Recession refers to jobs that have been lost worldwide within people since the start of the Great Recession. In the US, job losses have been going on since December 2007, and it accelerated drastically starting in September 2008 following the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. By February 2010, the American economy was reported to be more shaky than the economy of Canada. Many service industries have reported dropping their prices in order to maximize profit margins. This is an era in which employment is becoming unstable, and in which being either underemployed or unemployed is a common part of life for many people.
Unemployment in the United Kingdom is measured by the Office for National Statistics. As of February 2024, the U.K. unemployment rate is 3.8%, down from 3.9% in January.
Unemployment insurance, also known as 失業保険, is the "user pays" system of unemployment benefits that operates in Japan. It is paired with Workers' Accident Compensation Insurance and referred to collectively as Labour insurance. It is managed by Hello Work.
Youth unemployment is a special case of unemployment; youth, here, meaning those between the ages of 15 and 24.
Statistics on unemployment in India had traditionally been collected, compiled and disseminated once every ten years by the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MLE), primarily from sample studies conducted by the National Sample Survey Office. Other than these 5-year sample studies, India has – except since 2017 – never routinely collected monthly, quarterly or yearly nationwide employment and unemployment statistics. In 2016, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, a non-governmental entity based in Mumbai, started sampling and publishing monthly unemployment in India statistics.
Youth unemployment in Italy discusses the statistics, trends, causes and consequences of unemployment among young Italians. Italy displays one of the highest rates of youth unemployment among the 35 member countries of the Organization of Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). The Italian youth unemployment rate started raising dramatically since the 2008 financial crisis reaching its peak of 42.67% in 2014. In 2017, among the EU member states, the youth unemployment rate of Italy (35.1%) was exceeded by only Spain and Greece. The Italian youth unemployment rate was more than the double of the total EU average rate of 16.7% in 2017. While youth unemployment is extremely high compared to EU standards, the Italian total unemployment rate (11.1%) is closer to EU average (7.4%).
Unemployment has been a serious social issue in China in recent years, regarding both an increase in quantity and an unequal impact on different social regions. The influence of foreign investment in China has greatly increased since the Open Door Policy was implemented in the early 1980s. The relationship between foreign-funded enterprises and urban labor market development is dual. Opponents influence the shape of labor-market regulation; however, foreign-funded enterprises have also become a major source of demand for urban and rural areas migrant workers. Demographic factors also affect unemployment in China, such as age and sex. The position of women in the labor market has been deteriorating, with a decline in labor force participation rate, rising unemployment, increased work intensity and a widening gender pay gap.
Unemployment in Kerala discusses the causes and measures of Kerala unemployment and strategies for reducing it. Job creation and unemployment are affected by factors such as economic conditions, global competition, education, automation, and demographics. These factors can affect the number of workers, the duration of unemployment, and wage levels.
