We read between the lines of the city’s most recent 2011 employment survey to tease out a few pointers for Toronto’s job-seekers.
Toronto is where the work is
Employment increased by 1.5 per cent in the past year—0.2 per cent faster than the national average.
Wait, maybe it isn’t
The city’s unemployment rate stood at 9.2 per cent in 2011, down slightly from its 10 per cent peak in 2008, but well above the national average of 7.2 per cent.
You might need two jobs
Four out of five jobs created in the city since 2001 are part-time—and part-time work now comprises 22.3 per cent of all work in Toronto.
Don’t punch a clock
The city’s manufacturing sector has lost 58,200 jobs since 2001—almost one-third of all its employees.
Get used to cubicle partitions
627,900 Torontonians are office-bound, up 4.4 per cent since 2001.
Get comfy with co-workers
The number of employees at an average retail store now stands at 8.9, as compared to 8.1 a decade ago, largely due to the growth of big-box stores.
Be adaptable, because Toronto is changing fast
27,700 companies have been created within the past five years—36.9 per cent of all companies in the city. And old companies are folding, or merging, which often results in the shedding of “post-merger surplus workforces,” according to the city.
Think centrally
Nearly 40 per cent the city’s jobs exist in five “employment centres” identified by the city. They include downtown, North York Centre, Yonge-Eglinton, Scarborough Centre, and Etobicoke Centre. But Etobicoke Centre lost 1,900 jobs since 2006, the only centre to see a decline, due to retail and service outfits downsizing.
