Vol 2, Issue 4, February 25, 2021
Hamilton's Labour Market Connection
Your weekly news & updates from WPH!
In this week's edition: WPH's new ED; WPH Local Labour Market Plan 2020; Apprenticeship Spotlight!; Connect to Careers March 3; Hamilton's Labour Market Update; Hamilton LMI Dec 2020
Introducing WPH's New Executive Director

The staff and board members would like to officially welcome our new Executive Director Khadija Hamidu. Khadija's past experience includes working with Hamilton organizations such as YMCA, Wesley and SPRC. She is excited to join the WPH team and plans on continuing to foster community partnerships and collaborations in the city of Hamilton. 


Contact information: khadija.hamidu@workforceplanninghamilton.ca
WPH Local Labour Market Plan 2020
hamilton skyline
Workforce Planning Hamilton takes great pride in releasing our latest Labour Market Plan. The LMP is the result of Workforce Planning Hamilton’s evidence-based planning process that documents
Hamilton’s current labour market conditions and creates a plan that captures key labour market issues and priorities.

To complete the report and develop our local labour market plan and strategies we engage in a multistep process that includes:

  • Comprehensive research and data analysis of labour market information and relative local news articles
  • Interviews and consultations with stakeholders including employers, service providers and other key partners in the community
  • And normally, we would hold a community planning session to review our key findings and set new priorities, however due to the restrictions WPH did all community engagement virtually

Our Local Labour Market Report looks at the labour market in 2020 and reveals the top trends. This includes tracking news stories in the local media and reviewing any reports that we have developed or other research conducted by community partners. We also review the latest statistics available through Statistics Canada and review this information and how it aligns with and enhances local intelligence gathered through our own employer networks. Finally, we check in with local employment service providers to understand how these conditions are impacting the clients that they serve and how those clients are faring in the local economy.

This year eight indicators are also added in the appendix that tracks the labour market in the medium term. Many of the indicators are also incorporated into the report.
Welcome to Apprenticeship Spotlight! We are hosting a new segment in our newsletter to elevate the conversation on apprenticeships and to continue to support skilled trades employers through these challenging times.

WPH has done a lot of research and projects with the focus on Apprenticeships and the skilled trades. There is a skills shortage in our communities coupled with an aging workforce in the skilled trades creating the perfect storm heading towards hiring crisis if we do not focus on solutions for skilled trades workers locally.

This segment will feature real life experiences of local skilled trades workers, employers, and apprentices; labour market information regarding skilled trades in our community; news and articles related to apprenticeships and skilled trades; and local initiatives that support the skilled trades and apprenticeships in Hamilton.

Canadian Apprenticeship Forum: Apprenticeship Qualifications Snapshot

The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum has done an analysis from the Canadian System for Tracking Apprenticeship Qualifications (CANTRAQ) provides the projected targets for the total number of new apprentices likely needed to meet requirements. From 2020 to 2024, an estimated 155,338 new journeypersons will be required to sustain workforce certification levels across Red Seal trades in Canada, two-thirds (67 per cent) of which will be concentrated in 15 Red Seal trades. Keeping pace with the demand for skills and workforce certification over the long-term will require attracting nearly 350,740 new apprentices over the next five years. 
Skilled Trades Employer Toolkit

WPH developed a partnership with the Mohawk College Apprenticeship Community Hub to create a bespoke digital Toolkit for Skilled Trade Employers aimed at supporting employers during the hiring crisis in our community by providing easily accessible online information.

The Toolkit will support employers through recruitment and retention of apprenticeships, including guidance and tips to successfully on-board and retain apprentices featuring specific information on:
  • Registration
  • Training/Education
  • Monitoring
  • Financial incentives
  • Release to School 
  • Completion

We will be hosting a virtual Zoom forum on March 1st from 8:30-10am, to present the Apprenticeship Employer Tool Kit to skilled trades employers in Hamilton and to gather employer feedback about how this new comprehensive digital Tool Kit can work for employers.



Do you want to to be featured or have something to contribute to the Apprenticeship Spotlight? We'd love to hear from you! Click here to send a direct email with your information.
Connect to Careers: March 3rd 9am-3pm
Register today!

Over 80 employers with 1579 job opportunities and counting!
Less than a week away the Connect to Careers Job fair will be in full action! Do you know anyone looking for work in the Hamilton area?

Did you know that 85% of jobs are filled through networking? At Connect to Careers, you'll make connections with potential employers and explore your options.

You’ll discover exciting opportunities — from summer, part-time and full-time positions to internships and co-ops — by visiting different employer booths on the virtual fair platform.

You'll learn about job requirements, industry trends and industry growth. This information will help you prepare for interviews and write applications that will impress employers. 

Apply for jobs! You can even ask the representatives about the hiring process and the skills they want in an ideal candidate.

Set yourself apart from other job seekers by sharing your resume and experience through one-on-one chats in a comfortable virtual environment.

There will be webinars and keynote speakers throughout the day! Check out the agenda below to ensure you attend the topics you are interested in.

Drop in and participate any time between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Hamilton Labour Market Update

Hamilton's Unemployment Rate is Falling...
Over the last three months, Hamilton’s unemployment rate has been trending downwards while Ontario’s is trending upwards. In January, Hamilton’s unemployment rate fell to 6.8% (1.2%) while it was 10.2% for Ontario as a whole.

In January employment in Hamilton increased by 6,700 jobs and the labour force also grew by 2,000 people as people entered the labour market to look for jobs. In Ontario, we saw the opposite trend with there being 153,000 (-2.1%) job losses, and the vast majority were part-time jobs.

Please note: Hamilton data is a three-month moving average while Ontario data is monthly seasonally adjusted data. This may explain some of the discrepancy between the two figures, but the overall movement of the unemployment rates going in opposite direction is still valid trend that needs to be further investigated.

Industries With the Most Job Gains (Source: Labour Force Survey)
Monthly Change (Dec to Jan)
Health care and social assistance 4,500 jobs
Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing 1,700
Business, building and other support services 1,100
 
Industries with the Most Job Losses (Source: Labour Force Survey)
Monthly Change (Dec to Jan)
Manufacturing - 3,500 jobs
Construction - 800
Public administration - 600

Manufacturing led the job losses in Hamilton in January, after being a sector that was growing throughout the pandemic. In Ontario it was Retail trade that had the most job losses. 


Younger people led with the most job loses…
The following data is only for Ontario as monthly demographics information is not available in Hamilton. We can see that most of the job losses across Ontario came from the youngest age cohort.
Hamilton Labour Force Information:
December 2020

The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the City of Hamilton, Hamilton Economic Development, and the Flamborough and Stoney Creek Chambers of Commerce, are closely monitoring and assessing new developments pertaining to COVID-19, as well as its impacts on Hamilton business.

Workforce Planning Hamilton | 905-521-5777| info@workforceplanninghamilton.ca | www.workforceplanninghamilton.ca