The latest report from Workforce Planning Hamilton (WPH) shows that the unemployment rate in the area has increased to 7.2 per cent heading into the autumn months.
The most recent data from September 2025 indicates that the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), which includes the City of Hamilton, the City of Burlington, and the Town of Grimsby, saw unemployment increase by 0.3 percentage points since last month.
The August 2025 unemployment rate was 6.9 per cent.
The unemployment rate is also well up from the 6.2 per cent recorded in September 2024.
Hamilton’s unemployment rate is above the Canadian average of 7.0 per cent but below the Ontario average of 7.8 per cent.
At the same time, job demand in the area has increased by eight per cent, with 5,858 current job postings.
However, in the Hamilton area, employment declined by 2,900 workers compared to last month.
Most of the gains recorded were in the public sector (plus 1,000 jobs), while the private sector saw a decrease of 1,500, and the number of self-employed individuals fell by 2,400.
Compared to other cities, Hamilton’s unemployment rate is still well below the 10.4 per cent recorded in Windsor and 8.9 per cent recorded in Toronto, but slightly above the 7.1 per cent recorded in Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo and St. Catharines-Niagara.
The top in-demand jobs for September 2025 in the Hamilton area are for retail salespersons (282 job postings), food service (203 postings), Registered Nurses (181 postings), Home Support Workers (172 postings), and Licensed Practical Nurses (125 postings).
The report states that the median hourly wage for salespersons is $19 per hour, while food service workers earn $17 per hour. Registered Nurses earn approximately $55 per hour, Home Support Workers are paid $22 per hour, and Licensed Practical Nurses are paid $33 per hour.
Natural Resources and Agriculture was the top-growing occupational group for September in the Hamilton area, with a month-over-month increase in job postings of 13 per cent.
The top declining occupational group was Trades, with available jobs decreasing by 7 per cent since last month.
The top hiring employers were McMaster University (271 jobs), Hamilton Health Sciences (224), the City of Hamilton (199), St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (107), and AgeCare (77).
Of the 5,858 job postings in September, 75.7 per cent were for full-time positions and 21.3 per cent were part-time.
A total of 81.3 per cent were permanent positions, while 12.3 per cent were temporary and 6.4 per cent were on a contract.
Ontario’s minimum wage also increased at the beginning of the month from $17.20 per hour to $17.60 per hour.
The student minimum wage also increased, going from $16.20 per hour to $16.60 per hour.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
