Sault Ste. Marie’s unemployment rate in July was 7%, which is in line with Provincial and National rates.
Sault Ste. Marie’s Participation and Employment Rates continue to be considerably lower (about 10%) than Provincial and National rates.
Since both the Participation and Employment Rates are based on the overall population (aged 15 and above), the lower rates are mainly attributable to the fact that Sault Ste. Marie has a relatively older population and more people out of the workforce (retired).
Comparing the rates by age group shows that the Participation and Employment rates for the core working aged population (25 to 54) are in line with Provincial and National rates.
Overall employment fell to 34,500 jobs in July.
Employment in the Goods-Producing sector (Construction and Manufacturing) held steady.
Employment in Services-Producing sector fell, mainly due to decreased employment in Retail and Education.
It is unclear at this point how much Retail employment will recover, but employment in Education usually picks up in September and should also increase as more students return to post-secondary studies.
Comparing current employment levels to July 2020 and July 2019, most sectors have rebounded from lows in 2020 but overall employment is 10% lower than July 2019 (pre-COVID)
The Retail and Education sectors have had the largest decrease in employment
The Accommodation and Food Services sector has mostly recovered in terms of employment, but now faces the challenge of finding enough staff to meet demand.
Employment in Healthcare and Public Administration has increased.
Only Job postings continue to be strong for Sault Ste. Marie
The top job postings reflect the need for Retail, Accommodation and Restaurants to add staff to meet demand as COVID restrictions continue to ease.
Healthcare related occupations along with Delivery and Truck drivers round out the top ten.
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