Windsor's local economy lost 800 jobs in October, and the unemployment rate rose two-tenths of a percentage point to 7.5 per cent.
The city's population rose by another 500 people last month, but the labour force remained unchanged. Windsor's Participation Rate slipped slightly, down one-tenth of a percentage point to 64.2 per cent.
By comparison, the unemployment rate in London slipped from 8.4 per cent in September to 8.1 per cent. In Hamilton, it increased from 6.9 per cent to 7.6 per cent, and Oshawa's jobless rate was unchanged at 8.9 per cent.
Employment across Canada didn't change much in October. The national economy shed 4,700 jobs. The employment rate dipped one-tenth of a percentage point to 60.5 per cent, and the unemployment rate increased from 6.5 per cent to 6.7 per cent.
Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey had good news for the nation's youngest workers, aged 15 to 24. The youth jobless rate fell 0.7 per cent to 13.7 per cent. For workers aged 55 and up, unemployment rose to 5.5 per cent, and for core-age workers, it didn't change. For men aged 25 to 54, it was 5.8 per cent, and 5.3 per cent for women.
Employment in wholesale and trade dropped by 29,000 positions in October, but rose in construction and educational services. The private sector lost 53,000 positions, but that loss was almost made up in the public sector where another 50,000 jobs were added.
Ontario's unemployment rate rose three-tenths of a percentage point to 7.3 per cent.
One in five Canadians who were unemployed in September found work in October. The layoff rate, 0.7 per cent, remained unchanged, and 1.5-million people were considered long-term unemployed, jobless for at least 27 weeks.
The average hourly wage increased again in October, year-over-year, by 2.2 per cent, or by $0.83 to $37.89 an hour.
The number of households across Canada that find it hard to meet their financial needs, like housing, transportation, food, and clothing, was 29.7 per cent. That's down from last October, when the percentage was 27.7 per cent, and from October 2022, at 35.5 per cent.
Households on the brink were highest in Oshawa at 38.4 per cent, Windsor at 36.9 per cent, and Hamilton at 35.9 per cent. All of those cities have been hit hard by Canada's trade war with the U.S.
In its October survey, Statistics Canada also asked Canadians about job satisfaction, and it turns out a lot of people are quite satisfied with their employment. Six in ten said they were very satisfied. Those 55 and up reported the greatest job satisfaction at 68.9 per cent. It was 57.5 per cent for core-aged workers, and the lowest for youth workers at 57.4 per cent. Those in agriculture, natural resources and management reported the highest job satisfaction at 67.4 per cent, and those in sales and services reported the lowest at 54.3 per cent.
Statistics Canada collected data for the October survey between October 11 and 17. The next survey will be taken the week of November 8 to 14 and released on December 4.
