Hamilton sheds almost 46,000 jobs during COVID-19 pandemic: report

Hamilton lost almost 46,000 jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic but hasfared better economically than most areas of the province according to a report from Ontario'sfinancial accountability office.

The report calculated the number of jobs lost in Ontario cities between February and May as COVID-19 restrictions closed stores, restaurants businesses,factoriesand borders.

Hamilton's census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, lost 10.7 per cent of its jobs, almost two-fifths of whichwere in manufacturingand accommodation and food services industries.

The unemployment rate during February and May is reported as 5.4, compared to 4.8 in January but in May, the unemployment rate was almost double that at 10.3.

The provincial averageof lost jobs was 11.7 per cent.

Peter Weltman, Ontario's financial accountability officer, told CBC News the pandemic affects jobs in a completely unique way.

"It has impacts on industries, mostly where people have to work close together and until there was some adjustment made in that process, people basically weren't working," he explained.

"If you're in a business that requires a lot of people close by to deliver the output, that's where the job losses are."

Weltmanalso noted Hamilton has a strong economy and diverse job market, which helped it avoid worse economic impacts. If the manufacturing industry was what it used to be, Weltman said the aftermath may have been much worse.

"Manufacturing got hammered because of the pandemic," he said.

Weltmanalso predicts a lot of Hamilton's unemployment rate, especially in May,may actually be people applying for jobs. The unemployment rate accounts for people who lost jobs but also for those seeking work.

Niagara hit hardest locally

The St. Catharines and Niagara area was one of the hardest hit locations, losing 31,600 jobs or 15.6 per cent of all jobs.

Most of those lost jobs affected thethe accommodation and food services industry, even though the pandemic-related shutdowns and travel bans began before peak tourism season.

The unemployment rate during the pandemic was 7.1 per cent but was 12.6 per cent in May. It was the second most impacted area,behind only Windsor. Windsor lost 19.1 per cent of all jobs.

Brantford loses 5,500 jobs

Brantford lost about 5,500 jobs, roughly 7.4 per cent of its jobs. The manufacturing and construction industries were hit hardest. The city's unemployment rate was 6.6 between February and May, but was 11.3 in May alone.

Brantford and Hamilton were two of the least impacted cities in Ontario.

Province-wide,Guelph was least impacted, losing fewer than 5,000 jobs.

In Ontario, young workers aged 15 to 24experienced almost three times the rate of job loss compared 25 years and oldersince February. Women also suffered more job losses compared to men.