Metropolitan Monthly Monitors July 2011

Metro Help-Wanted Index Near-Term Job Prospects Up in Most CMAs

Summary
Canadas labour market has posted healthy growth so far this year. Nearly 192,000 jobs were created in the first six months of the year, with 21 of 27 census metropolitan areas (CMAs) posting job gains between December and June. And The Conference Board of Canadas Help-Wanted Index suggests that further job gains are on the way for most CMAs. Specifically, near-term employment prospects are up in 19 CMAs, stable in 3, and down in only 5. Job prospects are up in all 3 Atlantic Canadian CMAs (St. Johns, Halifax, and Saint John), 3 of 5 Quebec CMAs, 9 of 11 Ontario CMAs, and 4 of 8 Western Canadian CMAs. Prospects are down in Qubec City, Trois-Rivires, OttawaGatineau, St. CatharinesNiagara, and AbbotsfordMission. The indicator of labour market tightness (a ratio that measures the number of unemployed workers to the number of job openings) remains below the Canadian average of 2.3 in every Western Canadian CMA except AbbotsfordMissiona sign that labour markets remain tight out West.

nEar-TErm EmploymEnT proSpEcTS

St. Johns, Halifax, Saint John, Saguenay, Sherbrooke, Montral, Kingston, Greater Sudbury, Toronto, Hamilton, London, Windsor, KitchenerCambridgeWaterloo, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton, Oshawa

Up

Stable

Regina, Vancouver, Victoria

Down

Qubec, Trois-Rivires, OttawaGatineau, St. CatharinesNiagara, AbbotsfordMission

Economic pErformancE and TrEndS

HElp-WanTEd indEx and indicaTor of labour markET TigHTnESS in 27 cEnSuS mETropoliTan arEaS
left scale Help-Wanted index (2007 = 100) right scale indicator of labour market Tightness (number of unemployed individuals per online job posting)

St. Johns
200 150 100 50 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 5 0 15 10 200 150 100 50 0

Halifax
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 200 150 100 50 0

Saint John
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11

Saguenay
200 150 100 50 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 5 0 15 10 250 200 150 100 50 0

Qubec city*
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 200 150 100 50 0

Trois-rivires
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11

Sherbrooke
200 150 100 50 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 5 0 15 10 200 150 100 50 0

montral
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 200 150 100 50 0

ottawagatineau
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11

kingston*
300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 0 5 10 15 200 150 100 50 0

oshawa
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 200 150 100 50 0

Toronto
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11

Hamilton
200 150 100 50 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 5 0 15 10 200 150 100 50 0

St. catharinesniagara*
20 15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 200 150 100 50 0

kitchenercambridgeWaterloo
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11

*Scale has been adjusted to accommodate data. Note: A higher Help-Wanted Index (black line) is preferable because it means that the number of job ads is increasing, and therefore the labour market is strengthening. On the other hand, a lower indicator of labour market tightness (green line) is preferable because it means that the labour market is tightening, and therefore the chances of finding a job are higher. Sources: Wanted Technologies Corporation; Statistics Canada; The Conference Board of Canada.

2 | Metro Help-Wanted IndexJuly 2011

Find this report and other Conference Board research at www.e-library.ca

HElp-WanTEd indEx and indicaTor of labour markET TigHTnESS in 27 cEnSuS mETropoliTan arEaS (contd)
left scale Help-Wanted index (2007 = 100) right scale indicator of labour market Tightness (number of unemployed individuals per online job posting)

london
200 150 100 50 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 5 0 15 10 200 150 100 50 0

Windsor
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0

greater Sudbury*
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11

Thunder bay
200 150 100 50 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 5 0 15 10 200 150 100 50 0

Winnipeg
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 300 250 200 150 100 50 0

regina*
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11

Saskatoon*
250 200 150 100 50 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 0 10 5 15 200 150 100 50 0

calgary
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 200 150 100 50 0

Edmonton
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11

abbotsfordmission*
300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 0 5 10 15 200 150 100 50 0

Vancouver
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11 200 150 100 50 0

Victoria
15 10 5 0 Jun. 08 Jun. 09 Jun. 10 Jun. 11

*Scale has been adjusted to accommodate data. Note: A higher Help-Wanted Index (black line) is preferable because it means that the number of job ads is increasing, and therefore the labour market is strengthening. On the other hand, a lower indicator of labour market tightness (green line) is preferable because it means that the labour market is tightening, and therefore the chances of finding a job are higher. Sources: Wanted Technologies Corporation; Statistics Canada; The Conference Board of Canada.

3 | Metro Help-Wanted IndexJuly 2011

Find this report and other Conference Board research at www.e-library.ca

The Conference Board of Canada Help-Wanted Index is based on the seasonally adjusted number of new, unduplicated jobs posted online during the month across 79 job-posting websites. Raw data are collected by Wanted Technologies, a Canadian-based firm that provides information and analysis on hiring demand. The monthly Help-Wanted Index does not account for existing ads posted during previous months. The Conference Board also constructs the Barometer of Labour Market Tightness. The barometer is calculated by dividing the number of unemployed persons by the number of available ads posted online. Therefore, a falling barometer is associated with a tightening labour market. A rising barometer is associated with a loosening labour market.

The number of unduplicated ads includes the total ads available online during the period under review. All data are seasonally adjusted, and the indices are available at the national, provincial and metropolitan levels. The Help-Wanted Indices and the Barometers of Labour Market Tightness are available from May 2005. Data from 2005 to 2007 are heavily influenced by the addition of new websites surveyed. From July 2009 onward, the data are collected from the same 79 online job boards.

Metro Help-Wanted Index by Alan Arcand About The Conference Board of Canada We are:

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