The CEO of Workforce WindsorEssex says it was another difficult month for the region as Windsor returns to the highest unemployment rate in Canada.
Justin Falconer says the region lost 1,000 jobs throughout the month of August
The unemployment rate in the Windsor area increased nearly one per cent in August to 11.1 per cent - up from 10.2 per cent in July.
Falconer says the job losses are not coming from the manufacturing sector - the sector people assume is being hit the hardest - but instead it's the public sector experiencing the most loss, primarily in educational services.
In August, there were nearly 3,300 active job postings from over 1,250 companies, representing a one percent increase from the previous month, however, Falconer says they're not seeing nearly as many job postings as they'd like to be seeing.
He says the education sector is seeing the biggest losses.
"I know it's the summer, and these numbers are typically down, but even when you compare from last August to this August there's still 3,200 fewer positions then there were last August. We're seeing reductions - likely as a result of international students decreased enrolment in our institutions - and that's having a ripple effect in our economy."
Falconer says the manufacturing sector isn't being hit as hard as some may think.
"We actually saw 1,500 jobs increase in manufacturing last month. There's 49,600 workers working in that industry now, and that's actually up 5,500 workers from last August in 2024."
He says the tariffs are impacting the region in terms of less work being booked.
"A lot of these businesses will be working years in advance to secure future work, and then they spend the time getting ready and delivering on that, and building big dies and the equipment needed to deliver on that years later. And so, if that work isn't getting booked with our shops now, that's going to create future year problems for us."
Falconer says it's important to keep your resume up to date, and to ensure your cover letter is specific to the job you're applying for.
Overall, Statistics Canada says the national unemployment rate ticked up to 7.1 per cent in August as the economy lost 66,000 jobs for the month.