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Jobboom Index for March

46,200 new jobs help Ontario’s index recover

Ontario has added 46,200 new jobs to its economy over the past month, bringing its year-to-date total to 59,100. This performance has contributed to an 11.5 % increase in Ontario’s Jobboom Index and has enabled the province to regain its “excellent” employment status for the month of March.

Ontario’s services sector outperformed the province’s goods-producing sector (+ 10,000), with a net creation of 36,200 positions in February. The lion’s share of new positions were created in the business, building and other support services sector (+ 19,700), followed by public administration (+ 10,900), accommodation and food services (+ 6,400), professional, scientific and technical services (+ 5,000), information, culture and recreation (+ 4,800), and health care and social assistance (+ 4,300). All other sub-sectors reported losses, including educational services (-8,600) and transportation and warehousing (-2,000).

   MARCH 2008
   FORECAST
94.3%

EXCELLENT

Job creation in Ontario’s goods-producing sector was led by construction (+ 31,100), while losses were reported in manufacturing (-19,700), agriculture (-900), natural resources (-500) and utilities (-200).

Over the past 12 months, employment in Ontario has grown by 2 %.

This month’s index ranks 2nd out of 120, meaning there were 118 months with lower indices over the past 120 months. Over this same 10-year period, employment in Ontario has grown by 23 %.

Toronto region: 57.8 % — Fair
16,400 jobs were created in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) over the past month. As a result, Toronto’s index climbed 6.3 points to 57.8 %, giving this CMA a “fair” employment status for a third consecutive month.

Over the past 12 months, employment in the Toronto region has risen by 1.4 %.

This month’s index ranks 51st out of 120, meaning there were 69 months with lower indices over the past 10 years. From 1998 to 2008, employment in this CMA increased by 27 %.

  INDEX
(percent)		 EMPLOYMENT SITUATION COMPARED TO FEBRUARY
ONTARIO 94.3 EXCELLENT 11.5
Ottawa-Gatineau Region 90.8 Excellent -2.3
Toronto Region 57.8 Fair 6.3