Work

London’s regional economy is highly based on manufacturing, with a significant percentage of this employment being within the St. Thomas area. The majority of business in London proper is service based. There is a growing trend in the number of small business start-ups; however, this may be due to a downturn in the economy, specifically within the automotive sector as those laid off are turning to self-employment. London’s unemployment rate is slightly above the national level, but lower when compared to the provincial estimate.

Focus on industrial diversification and attracting new business

Support and encourage small businesses and entrepreneurs

Key Report Findings (click to expand)

Employment Growth

With employment growth of 0.7% in 2007, London saw growth of 1.6 percentage points below the national rate (2.3%) and 0.8 percentage points below the provincial rate (1.6%). The 1987-2007 period saw an average annual employment growth of 1.3%, below both the provincial rate (1.5%) and the national rate (1.6%).
Employment Levels and Growth in London, Ontario and Canada 1987, 1996-2007, Employment Levels, Thousands of Workers

	Canada	Ontario	London
1987	12333.0	4895.6	190.2
1996	13421.4	5167.1	202.9
1997	13706.0	5291.4	209.4
1998	14046.2	5453.3	211.0
1999	14406.7	5636.7	221.7
2000	14764.2	5817.1	228.7
2001	14946.2	5926.2	228.7
2002	15310.4	6031.4	227.4
2003	15672.3	6213.2	234.4
2004	15947.0	6316.5	243.6
2005	16169.7	6397.7	243.1
2006	16484.3	6492.7	245.6
2007	16866.4	6593.8	247.4

	Compound average annual growth, %, 1987-2007	Compound average annual growth, %, 2000-2007
Canada	1.58	1.92
Ontario	1.50	1.81
London	1.32	1.13

Source: Employment levels from Statistics Canada CANSIM Tables 282-0053 (CMA data), 282-0055 (Canada and Provinces) and 282-0064 (CA data)
Employment Levels and Growth in London, Ontario and Canada, 1987, 1996-2007 (Continued), Employment Growth Over Previous Year

	Canada	Ontario	London
1988	3.1	3.8	5.5
1996	0.9	1.3	-2.4
1997	2.1	2.4	3.2
1998	2.5	3.1	0.8
1999	2.6	3.4	5.1
2000	2.5	3.2	3.2
2001	1.2	1.9	0.0
2002	2.4	1.8	-0.6
2003	2.4	3.0	3.1
2004	1.8	1.7	3.9
2005	1.4	1.3	-0.2
2006	1.9	1.5	1.0
2007	2.3	1.6	0.7

Source: Employment levels from Statistics Canada CANSIM Tables 282-0053 (CMA data), 282-0055 (Canada and Provinces) and 282-0064 (CA data)
Related Articles:

Table IX-1-a: Employment Rate (15+) in Vital Signs CMAs and CAs, 1987-2007
Table IX-1-b: Employment Rate (15+) in Vital Signs Communities, 2001 and 2006
Table IX-3-a: Employment Levels and Growth in Vital Signs Communities, 1987, 1996-2007
Table IX-3-b: Employment Levels and Growth in Vital Signs Communities, 2001-2006
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Unemployment Rate 15 Years of Age and Over

In 2007, the unemployment rate in London was 6.1%. This was slightly above the national level (6.0%) and slightly below the Ontario provincial level (6.4%). Since 1987 the unemployment rate in London has decreased 1.0 percentage points from 7.1%.
Unemployment Rate (15+) in London CMA, Ontario and Canada 1987-2007

	Canada	Ontario	London
1987	8.8	6.1	7.1
2000	6.8	5.8	6.1
2001	7.2	6.3	6.4
2002	7.7	7.1	7.1
2003	7.6	6.9	6.8
2004	7.2	6.8	5.9
2005	6.8	6.6	6.6
2006	6.3	6.3	6.2
2007	6.0	6.4	6.1
% of change, 1997–2007	-2.8	0.3	-1.0
% of change, 2006–2007	-31.8	4.9	-14.1

Source: Statistics Canada.

Note: The unemployment rates for the provinces based on Labour Force Survey Estimates, Cansim series v2170201, v2171065, v2171281, v2171497, v2171929, v2172145 Data from the labour force survey are based on an annual average.

Related Articles:
Table IX-2-a: Unemployment Rate (15+) in Vital Signs CMAs and CAs, 1987-2007
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Unemployment Rate 15 to 24 Years of Age

In 2006, the youth unemployment rate for London was 11.0%, 2.0 percentage points below the provincial rate (13.0%) and 0.2 percentage points below the national rate (11.2%). The rate in London is down 2.4 percentage points from 13.4% in 2000.
Unemployment Rates for Youth (15 to 24 Years) for London Economic Region, 1987-2007

	Canada	Ontario	London
1987	13.2	9.5	8.8
1988	11.5	7.9	7.2
1989	10.9	7.7	6.4
1990	12.3	10.0	10.4
1991	15.8	15.1	14.5
1992	17.2	17.7	16.1
1993	17.2	17.7	14.8
1994	15.9	15.7	11.3
1995	14.8	14.7	14.2
1996	15.4	14.9	15.0
1997	16.2	16.4	16.4
1998	15.2	14.5	14.5
1999	14.0	13.2	13.2
2000	12.7	11.9	11.9
2001	12.9	12.5	12.5
2002	13.6	13.9	13.9
2003	13.6	14.4	14.4
2004	13.4	14.1	14.1
2005	12.4	13.9	13.9
2006	11.6	13.1	13.1
2007	11.2	13.0	13.0

Source: Statistics Canada.
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Building Permits: Non-Residential
- The number of building permits issued provides information regarding the level of construction in a city. Specifically, non-residential building permits (all permits issued that do not include residential construction) indicate the amount of activity across commercial, industrial and investment areas. This type of activity is associated with job development and economic prosperity. In London, the percentage of non-residential building permits in London was slightly lower than the median for other similar municipalities (for more detailed information go to www.london.ca/City_Council/pdfs/26066-COL-CommReport.pdf).
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The Impact of Child Care Wait List on Employment
- On January 1, 2007, the City of London implemented the new Provincial Income Test to determine eligibility for the Child Care Fee Subsidy Program. From January 2007 to January 2008, the demand in London for fee subsidies increased by more than 12%.
  Currently there are approximately 7,900 licensed childcare spaces available in the City of London. This is insufficient to meet demand and a wait list policy has been implemented to aid families seeking childcare. The current budget cannot support the demand.
- Source: Neighbourhood and Children Services, courtesy of Kelly Smith, Manager, Children Services.
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Involuntary Part-Time Workers for Vital Signs CMA’s and Economic Regions
Table IX-6: Involuntary Part-time Workers for Vital Signs CMAs and Economic Regions, 1997, 2006 and 2007
Appendix Table IX-6-i: Part-time Workers by Vital Signs CMA and Economic Region, In Thousands, 1997-2007
Appendix Table IX-6-ii: Total Involuntary Part-time Employment by Vital Signs CMA and Economic Region, In Thousands, 1997-2007
Appendix Table IX-6-iii: Involuntary Part-time Workers Who Looked for Full-Time Employment by Vital Signs CMA and Economic Region, In Thousands. 1997-2007
Appendix Table IX-6-iv: Involuntary Part-time Workers Who Did Not Look for Full-Time Employment, In Thousands, for Vital Signs CMAs and Economic Regions, 1997-2007
Appendix Table IX-6-v: Involuntary Part-Time Employment as a Percentage of Total Part-Time Workers for Vital Signs CMAs and Economic Regions, 1997-2007
Appendix Table IX-6-vi: Part-Time Workers, Per cent Shares in Total Workers, for Vital Signs CMAs and Economic Regions, 1997-2007
Appendix Table IX-6-vii: Involuntary Part-Time Workers, Per cent Shares in Total Workers, for Vital Signs CMAs and Economic Regions, 1997-2006
Appendix Table IX-6-viii: Involuntary Part-Time Workers Who Looked for Full-Time Employment, Per cent Shares in Total Workers for Vital Signs CMAs and Economic Regions, 1997-2007
Appendix Table IX-6-ix: Involuntary Part-time Workers Who Did Not Look for Full-Time Employment, Per cent Shares in Total Workers for Vital Signs CMAs and Economic Regions, 1997-2007

LOCAL LINKS

London Employment Help Centre
http://www.lehc.ca

London Ontario and Area Employment Resources
http://www.donkeyorange.com/london_jobs/

London Services Canada Centre
http://www1.servicecanada.gc.ca/cgi-bin/hr-display.cgi?rc=3511&ln=e

Pathways Skill Development
http://pathways.on.ca/news/index.php

Association Canadienne francaise de l'Ontario: London-Sarnia
http://www.acfo-ls.org/en/chercheurs-emploi.htm

Links2Work
http://www.links2work.on.ca

LEADS Employment Services
http://www.leadsservices.com

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