Windsor's unemployment rate drops, but some residents can't tell

Windsor's unemployment rate dropped 0.2 percentage points for the month of May, and now sits at 6.2 per cent, according to Statistics Canada.

That's still higher than the national jobless rate, which increased to 5.2 per cent. The provincial rate is up 0.6 percentage points to 5.5 per cent.

Windsor's rate is the second-highest among major cities in the country, with only Peterborough, Ont., coming in higher at 7.1 per cent.

But if you ask some Windsor residents, they say there's still not enough opportunities for them, despite the high unemployment.

For the past three months, Andrea Johnson has been looking for work in the health-care sector as a personal support worker.

"As a new grad, it becomes very difficult because they're mostly looking for people with probably over a year's experience" she said.

"Sometimes it becomes a little bit challenging to compete with people that have been out there longer than you have."

Johnson says she had high expectations because she was told the field was always looking for workers, but she could not tell when she was applying.

"If there was a demand, obviously you'll get the jobs," she said. "But the jobs are not there to be received at this time."

The Windsor area continues to grapple with one of the highest unemployment rates among cities in Canada, but at the same time lots of employers are looking to hire and organizations in Windsor-Essex helping residents find work in a variety of fields.

Johnson was one of many residents who attended a job fair held at Unifor Local 195's action centre on Tuesday, which saw lines go all the way around the building.

"The main intent of the action centre was to assist the members of Syncreon," said Emile Nabbout, Unifor Local 195 president.

"But with the magnitude of employers who are willing to look for people to work for them, we felt that we will include the entire community if somebody is looking for a job."

Tuesday's fair in Windsor had representatives from 45 workplaces that are represented by the union. Nabbout said the goal of the fair was to show that despite Windsor having one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, there is an appetite for employment.

"We have people who're looking for a job, a better opportunity, better pay, a better pension and better benefits, hopefully with those service providers," he said. "Some of the employers can provide those opportunities for [the people in the] big line you see here."

Tuesday's job fair was run in partnership with the Workforce WindsorEssex and the City of Windsor's Employment & Training Services (ETS).

When asked whether the current reality in Windsor-Essex is a job shortage or a labour shortage, a Workforce WindsorEssex project co-ordinator says it is a bit of both.

"There are job openings and the labour shortage is also on the skill level," said Darlene Malcolm. "A lot of the positions that are being offered are entry level positions and then some of them are higher up as well."

Opportunities for workers outside the city

Windsor workers are not the only ones getting opportunities to attend such events.

High school and post-secondary students will have the chance to find work with five employers at a job fair organized by the South Essex Community Council (SECC) in Leamington on Friday.

"They don't just take their resumes," Milka Pieper, department co-ordinator of the career hub at SECC, said of the employers. "There are interviews right on the spot."

SECC also held a job fair on June 1 at the WFCU Centre called Farm to Fork, which hosted 12 employers involved in the agri-food supply chain. Pieper said 400 youths attended that fair.

Pieper said the increase in the number of youth looking for work is good to see.

"The focus I know for the Ministry [of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development] where they're going is retention and getting adults jobs," she said. "So we're trying to focus on making sure that youth are supported because those funds are less and less that are coming out."

"It's making sure that youth are supported and the big piece there is retention that the government is focusing on."

Programs through the provincial government are available for students to transition into the workforce while still in school and employers to find youth workers that are available for work.

CBC News is awaiting a response from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.