Jobless rate goes down as employers seek out workers
Jobs are out there for the taking.
That’s according to labour force experts who celebrate the continued downward trend of the London area’s jobless rate, but express concern over how the many thousands of available openings will be filled.
The London region’s unemployment rate fell in November for the fifth month in a row, to 6.4 per cent from 6.7 per cent one month earlier.
But perhaps more telling is the number of available jobs.
According to Deb Mountenay, executive director of Elgin Middlesex Oxford Workforce Planning Development Board, there are currently more than 6,300 openings waiting to be filled. In 20 years she said she’s never seen it like this.
“This is everything, right from entry level positions for individuals right on up to senior management positions. Right now employers across the board are looking for people, and they’re looking for people at all different levels within their organization.”
Among the hardest hit industries is the hospitality sector, which saw many workers leave during the pandemic and not return.
Marienbad Restaurant owner Gerry Pribil, who sits on the Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association board, said the hospitality sector is desperate for employees.
“A lot of people in our industry, they are interviewing people, they take 20 people and actually only three or four ended up showing up, and it is because there are a lot of opportunities out there, which again is great, but in terms of our industry it is challenging.”
Despite labour force challenges, London Mayor Ed Holder is sounding an optimistic tone when it comes to job growth. He points to the more than 2,600 jobs created in the London area in November, amounting 17 consecutive months of job growth.
“We are on a strong roll, and I applaud the businesses in our community for having the confidence to grow their business, and to open their business, in some cases re-open their business,” said Holder.
Holder said he’s confident the combination of Western University and Fanshawe College graduates, along with workers coming off pandemic benefits will fill the labour force gap.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.