Job rebound: Windsor-Essex sets record-high employment numbers

Article content Justin Falconer, CEO of Workforce WindsorEssex, said the local record stems from companies looking for stability amid tariff turmoil, that see Canada and Southwestern Ontario as a safer place to invest.

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Article content “I think the uncertainty drove everyone nuts,” he told the Star. “It certainly has created this feeling of quicksand for a lot of companies. I don’t think we’re through it by any means, but the rest of the world is also experiencing this, and it just looks like Canada has really come out as safe a place for long-term investment. We’re seeing that in Windsor with Minth and the rest of the supply chain around the battery plant. We’re seeing growth overall.”

Article content Statistics Canada reported Friday that the Windsor Census Metropolitan Area’s unemployment rate dropped last month to 8.1 per cent.

Article content That was down from 9.6 per cent in October and 10.4 per cent in September. In August, Windsor’s unemployment rate was a whopping 11.1 per cent.

Article content About 246,300 people were employed last month in Windsor-Essex.

Article content “We’re now at an all-time high when it comes to the number of people working in Windsor-Essex,” said Falconer. “We set a new record, not just for all occupations or all sectors working. But even in manufacturing it’s a new all-time high for the number of people working in that sector.”

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Article content The region, which had the highest unemployment rate in Canada earlier this year, now sits in 10th place.

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Article content “We used to be No.1, and that’s been all too common for us,” said Falconer.

Article content “It’s certainly been a really welcome three months. February was when our local job market started its slide. Between January and about three months ago, we had lost about 14,100 positions. The last three months have really seen us regain all that.”

Article content He said the actual number of unemployed people in Windsor-Essex now sits at 21,700. In June, there were 29,200 unemployed people.

Article content “So it’s not just people moving seats,” said Falconer. “We’re actually getting people who are truly unemployed working again.”

Article content But the jobless average in Windsor-Essex was still higher than the national unemployment rate, which dipped to 6.5 per cent.

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Statistics Canada said the country added 54,000 jobs in November, driven by gains in part-time work. The gains were also predominantly among young people between the ages of 15 and 24.