Labour force data released by Statistics Canada last week is shedding light on just how many people in the City of Toronto are out of work.
The report shows there were 317,200 people without a job in Toronto in May, marking one of the highest unemployment rates in the country at 7.9 per cent. That number marks a 0.2 per cent jump from April and a 1.9 per cent increase – or 83,800 more unemployed people – year-over-year.
Toronto’s unemployment rate was only outpaced by cities like Windsor (8.5) and Calgary (8.1).
According to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), the jobless rate was 7.2 per cent below the July 2020 peak last month, but still remains above the long-run average.
In Toronto and across Canada, where the unemployment rate sits at 6.2 per cent overall, the report noted that job seekers are also working part-time jobs in the absence of full-time work, which is known as the involuntary part-time rate. That rate, Statistics Canada said, reached 18.2 per cent in May, up from 15.4 per cent in the last 12 months.
The CREA said there were 10,500 more full-time jobs in Toronto in May compared to a month earlier and 10,600 more part-time positions, which led to an increase of 21,100 total jobs. However, the CREA noted, full-time employment was still down 26,000 jobs from the peak in July 2023, but stood 37,100 jobs above the trough in January 2024.
In light of the new unemployment numbers, CTV News Toronto wants to know if you are you struggling to find work.
What has your experience been like searching for a job? Are you finding it difficult to secure gainful employment in the face of a relatively high jobless rate? How are you making ends meet while looking for work?
Share your story by emailing us at torontonews@bellmedia.ca with your name, general location and phone number in case we want to follow up. Your comments may be used in a CTV News Toronto story.