Ottawa-Gatineau’s Regional Index 84.6 percent — Favourable
Ottawa-Gatineau’s Index drops for a second consecutive month (-2.6) following the loss of 3,000 jobs in March, adding to the loss of 3,200 positions in February, as reported by Statistics Canada. The region maintains its “favourable” employment status, thanks to strong gains made in the last months of 2004, prior to several months of stagnation (below the 80-percent mark). This month’s Index ranks 20th out of 120, with 100 months having lesser Indices over the past ten years. Over the same period, employment grew by 23 percent.

Toronto’s Regional Index: 58.7 percent — Fair
This month’s Jobbom Index for Toronto drops slightly (-0.1), despite the creation of 7,400 jobs in March. New jobs were insufficient to compensate for the loss of 37,900 jobs in previous periods. Toronto’s employment status dropped to “fair” in December, after having scored “excellent” from July to September 2004. Compared to the previous 120 months, this month’s Index ranks 69th. In other words, over the past ten years, there were 51 months with weaker Indices. From March 1995 to March 2005, the number of jobs in the Toronto region grew by 29 percent.