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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.