Low jobless rate not good news for Sault Ste. Marie
Low jobless rate not good news for Sault Ste. Marie
Statistics Canada recently published November's figures for unemployment rates across the country. Sault Ste. Marie's rate is well below the national and provincial rate.
But that isn't a good thing.
Silvia Alves, executive director for the Algoma Workforce Investment Corporation, said the figure is not something positive for the area.
“Although the unemployment rate is low that does mean the availability of workers is limited,” Alves said.
“So as unemployment rate is lower there (are fewer) people available and looking for work.”
The rates for Canada and Ontario are 5.1 per cent and 5.5 per cent respectively. Unemployment across northeastern Ontario is at 4.4 per cent and the rate for the Sault is just 4.1 per cent.
Experts say this is indicative of a worker’s market, where businesses have few options when filling positions.
The Sault's Downtown Association is in the market for at least one new staff member. Executive director Salvatore Marchese said they're getting half the number of applicants they have previously.
"In the past you would have a large amount of applications come in relatively quickly, this time of year having to feed through and wait a little longer for those applicants to come in,” Marchese said.
N1 Solutions is another local company looking for new employees. Communications manager Jessica Tett said they are getting enough interest, but there's a lack of skilled applicants.
“We are actively getting multiple different applicants for each different role, but the biggest challenge we have is getting qualified applicants,” Tett said.
“Sometimes people will just apply to the job without looking at what is required.”
Retail and health care are the sectors in highest need of staff. Alves said a number of agencies are working to find solutions, like bringing in immigrants with the right skills for employers.
And working to improve the skills of locals.
“Developing and retaining our underrepresented groups such as youth, people with disabilities and continuing to support our indigenous communities in workforce development,” she said.
Alves added that the Sault's aging population will only make the problem more evident, and the shortages need to be addressed before the issue is greater.
Two children are dead and six others are injured after a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare Wednesday morning. The driver of the bus, a 51-year-old man, has been arrested and faces charges of homicide and dangerous driving, police say.
The Bank of Canada released a summary of its Governing Council meetings on Wednesday, providing the public and financial institutions with more insight into the central bank’s decision to raise its key interest rate on Jan. 25.
An 'awkward' attempt at a handshake between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the prime minister Tuesday is another example of leaders from the western province hesitating before shaking Justin Trudeau's hand, say political experts.
In the aftermath of the deadly earthquake that struck Syria and Turkiye, Canadians are donating money and supplies to rescue and relief efforts there. CTVNews.ca rounds up ways you can contribute to charities based in Canada and abroad.
An associate of Ontario’s self-described “crypto king” was operating his own fraud scam parallel to the multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme, court documents allege.
Many Canadians are experiencing strains caused by the increased cost of living and inflation. In his exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, contributor Christopher Liew shares some of the top credits and deductions that you may be able to claim on your income tax return to help you save money.
With hope of finding survivors fading, stretched rescue teams in Turkiye and Syria searched Wednesday for signs of life in the rubble of thousands of buildings toppled by the world's deadliest earthquake in more than a decade. The confirmed death toll approached 12,000.
A Toronto father was working Saturday afternoon when he got a notification from an app connected to his home security system. And what he saw on his phone was every parent's worst nightmare.
An associate of Ontario’s self-described “crypto king” was operating his own fraud scam parallel to the multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme, court documents allege.
Two children are dead and six others are injured after a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare Wednesday morning. The driver of the bus, a 51-year-old man, has been arrested and faces charges of homicide and dangerous driving, police say.
A large group of Ottawa residents came out Wednesday to support a drag storytime event at the National Arts Centre, outnumbering protesters who were in opposition.
A memorial has been set up in the area where 30-year-old Karen Cunningham’s body was found, as police in Woodstock continue to investigate her death as “suspicious” in nature.
Two children are dead and six others are injured after a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare Wednesday morning. The driver of the bus, a 51-year-old man, has been arrested and faces charges of homicide and dangerous driving, police say.
Eighty-four bricks of suspected cocaine were seized from a commercial truck allegedly attempting to smuggle the drugs into Canada at the Blue Water Bridge, border officials say.
Two children are dead and six others are injured after a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare Wednesday morning. The driver of the bus, a 51-year-old man, has been arrested and faces charges of homicide and dangerous driving, police say.
Police are investigating after a bar in Montreal North appears to have been the scene of an arson early Wednesday morning. There were no reported injuries, but the flames seriously damaged the building and forced residents upstairs to evacuate temporarily.
The number of organ donors in Quebec has increase threefold in the past five years, according to Transplant Quebec, which also reported a “steep” rise in donations coming from patients opting for medical assistance in dying (MAID). Canada’s MAID process allows patients with certain irremediable conditions to end their own life with the help of a physician or nurse. Since the law was passed in 2016, over 30,000 people have sought the process as of 2022, when the last federal report was published.
There was drama in a Halifax courtroom Wednesday as a Crown prosecutor tried to poke holes in the alibi of a former medical school student who is claiming self-defence in the shooting death of another student during a drug deal.
Police say a man from Moncton, N.B., who was previously charged for allegedly videotaping children at pools in Fredericton is now facing sex charges after an alleged incident at a school where he was a supply teacher.
Two children are dead and six others are injured after a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare Wednesday morning. The driver of the bus, a 51-year-old man, has been arrested and faces charges of homicide and dangerous driving, police say.
Team Lawes vice Selena Njegovan will be able to serve in a support role at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts after all despite initially being told she'd have limited access on site while on pregnancy leave.
The Calgary Police Service asked residents of a northwest neighbourhood to shelter in their homes as officers responded to a situation Wednesday morning involving a firearm.
If you're a FortisAlberta customer who owns an electric vehicle, the company is looking for your help with a pilot program that will test the limits of Alberta's electrical infrastructure.
The Alberta government is moving ahead with a plan that would give oil and gas companies a tax break for meeting their legal obligations to clean up old well sites, inviting a select group of landowner organizations to a meeting to discuss a pilot project.
An 'awkward' attempt at a handshake between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the prime minister Tuesday is another example of leaders from the western province hesitating before shaking Justin Trudeau's hand, say political experts.
A woman who was seriously injured in a head-on collision last summer is speaking out against ICBC's no-fault policy, arguing it penalizes the victims of accidents.
A range of pressures on British Columbia forests are reverberating this spring through Houston and other rural and northern communities, where sawmill, pellet and pulp closuresare affecting hundreds of workers.
