A recent report released by Wagepoint, a North American payroll provider, has determined Ontario leads the country in the number of job terminations whether it be from employees quitting, being laid off or fired.
A sample of 30,595 small businesses with between one and 200 employees was collected that saw 70,985 terminations of hourly and salaried positions in 2023 up until Dec. 10.
Of those, 26,798 hourly and 10,478 salaried employees had positions terminated in Ontario.
While employment rates are bound to fluctuate and Ontario has the highest population density, president and CEO of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, Greg Durocher, isn't seeing it as a huge issue locally based on his interactions with various sectors.
"It's very difficult to make any comments based on facts," Durocher said as the chamber doesn't have any records similar to those in the report.
"Personally, none of my private sector members have come to me with issues surrounding this matter. That said, I’ve had comments with the healthcare folks and government services who have experienced some of this, but it doesn’t seem to be anywhere near a national crisis."
Doctor shortages, for one, have been an issue in Cambridge with projections by the Ontario College of Family Physicians predicting 36,910 people in the city will be without a family doctor by 2026.
"In healthcare we’ve seen a few leaving practice to pursue other opportunities, but again not sure it’s a big issue, unless people just aren’t filling me in on things," Durocher said.
"No doubt there is some of it, especially when you have certain sectors with lots of job openings and employees hopping from one place to the other."
Ontario also has the highest three-year average of hourly terminations between 2021 and 2023 with 28,132, followed by British Columbia at 9,722, Alberta with 6,664, 3,335 in Quebec and 2,334 in Nova Scotia.
"It's still difficult to find some skilled folks, there seems to be more jobs than people who have a trade skill especially," Durocher added.
