More Ontarians per job vacancy than rest of Canada

Kathleen Wynne should pay attention to recent reports that jobs are becoming a growing issue in Ontario.

Earlier this week Statistics Canada noted that the number of unemployed people per job vacancy has been increasing in Canada with Ontario the most notable.

For every job vacancy there are 6.3 unemployed Canadians, up from 5.2 a year ago. In Ontario, the numbers are much worse – now there are 8.6 Ontarians out of work for every job vacancy, an increase from 6.8 a year ago.

This comes at a time when public sector austerity is costing good jobs. In the health sector we have reported on job losses at many Ontario hospitals this year, the largest – such as The Ottawa Hospital and Hamilton Health Sciences — shedding hundreds of positions each. The CCACs and their agencies may be hiring but it is nowhere near this scale of job loss.

Recently we reported on Kingston Providence Care (Mental Health) shedding nearly one in five jobs as part of their downsizing efforts. While Deb Matthews has stood in the legislature telling us not to worry — that such mental health services are transitioning to the community — there has been no corresponding plan to hire these workers at the most logical community destination — Frontenac Mental Health.

Stats Canada suggests while the overall numbers of unemployed Ontarians have not changed much over the last year, the job opportunities are considerably fewer.