Ontario's unemployment crisis is reaching concerning new highs

The latest job figures for Canada have just been released, and, woefully, Ontario's unemployment rate continues to push higher amid what has become a joblessness crisis.

According to StatCan, a shocking 7.9 per cent of the province's workforce is now without a paying gig, despite some growth in the manufacturing and agriculture sectors (which added 12,000 and 5,200 roles, respectively, over the course of September).

This is a slight jump from just a month earlier, when 7.7 per cent of the eligible population was looking for work, and also from this time last year, when Ontario's rate of unemployment was 7.1 per cent.

In Toronto, the proportion of job seekers remained about the same between August and September, sitting at a significantly higher level than the province overall: 8.9 per cent.

The fact that this number didn't rise from one month to the next is somewhat reassuring after increases earlier in the year, though the city's unemployment rate was a far lower (though still concerning) 8.1 per cent back in Sept. 2024. For reference, a "healthy" rate of joblessness for any economy is five per cent or lower.

StatCan

StatCan's report, released Friday, does offer some glimmers of hope amid a generally worrying economic moment, noting that employment coast-to-coast increased by 60,000 (+0.3 per cent) in September, growing the overall employment rate by 0.1 percentage points (to 60.6 per cent) while the unemployment rate remained flat at 7.1 per cent.

This is a positive change after two consecutive months of a decline in the number of jobs, though so far in 2025, employment "has recorded little net growth," of only 22,000 positions total, or +0.1 per cent.