Labour Market Insights
Job Search and Demand During Lockdown for December 2020 in Windsor-Essex
On December 11, 2020, it was announced that Windsor-Essex would move from Red-Control to Grey-Lockdown of Ontario’s tiered COVID-19 Response Framework as of December 14. This lockdown would stay in place until at least January 11, 2021, then being extended to January 23 for all of Southwestern Ontario effective December 26.
This lockdown tier is currently the strictest tier in Ontario’s system, further impacting how businesses are allowed to operate and what occupations jobseekers are interacting with. Restaurants have moved to takeout and delivery only and non-essential businesses (such as some retail stores, salons, and gyms) have closed or greatly reduced services.
December 2020 saw 3,089 active job postings from 1,066 companies, down from 3,699 total active job postings from 1,294 companies in November. The Job Board received 13,023 interactions (a decrease of 41% from 18,357 interactions in November) from 4,108 users (a decline of 34% from the previous month).
With sectors across the board impacted by the Grey-Lockdown tier restrictions, it’s no surprise that Windsor-Essex saw both less jobs and less jobseekers during the month of December.
From looking at the in-demand jobs in the region, as well as what types of occupations jobseekers are interacting with, we can see that companies and individuals are pivoting to meet the demands of how the Grey-Lockdown restrictions change how we live, work, and shop.
The top searched-for occupations overall in Windsor-Essex for December 2020 were:
Administrative Assistants; Other Customer and Information Services Representatives; Retail Salespersons; Material Handlers; and Store Shelf Stockers, Clerks and Order Fillers.
The top searched-for occupations by men in Windsor-Essex for December 2020 were:
Material Handlers; Store Shelf Stockers, Clerks and other Order Fillers; Delivery and Courier Service Drivers; Retail Salespersons; and Administrative Assistants.
The top searched-for occupations by women in Windsor-Essex for December 2020 were:
Administrative Assistants; Other Customer Service Information Services Representatives; Retail Salespersons; Store Shelf Stockers, Clerks and Order Fillers; and Home Support Workers, Housekeepers and Related Occupations.
The top ten in-demand occupations by local employers for December 2020 were:
Transport Truck Drivers; Retail Salespersons; Home Support Workers, Housekeepers and Related Occupations; Material Handlers; Nursery and Greenhouse Workers; Other Customer and Information Services Representatives; Administrative Assistants; Security Guards and Related Security Service Occupations; Delivery and Courier Service Drivers; and Retail and Wholesale Trade Managers.
There has been an increased interest in Store Shelf Stockers, Clerks and Order Fillers for both men and women. Store Shelf Stockers, Clerks and Order Fillers pack customers’ purchases, price items, stock shelves with merchandise, and fill online or telephone orders. As Ontarians are encouraged to stay home as much as possible, many may be opting for ordering groceries and other items online for either delivery or curbside pick-up.
Store Shelf Stockers, Clerks and Order Fillers were the twelfth-most in-demand occupation in Windsor-Essex for December. We also continue to see an increased demand for Security Guards and Related Security Service Occupations. This could be explained by more businesses requiring additional security measures to ensure patrons are adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols.
While there is still a demand for Cooks, at #11, it is down 49% from the previous month (47 postings in December from 70 postings in November). Restaurants may be seeing a decline in business as both indoor and outdoor dining is prohibited during the Grey-Lockdown tier. There is a high demand for Delivery and Courier Service Drivers, which are employed by drug stores and takeout food establishments. From this, we can see that some businesses in Windsor-Essex have prepared to move from serving customers on their premises to offering pick-up and delivery options only.
Of those searching the Job Board by keyword, there were five instances of searching specifically for “clerk” or “stock”. There were 21 instances of searches for specific retail chains (Canadian Tire, Home Depot, and Shoppers Drug Mart, for example) that would remain open during lockdown.
The top hiring sectors by six-digit NAICS remains similar to the previous month, although there is a much greater demand for the Nursing Care Facilities sector in December, which can be attributed to a greater need for staffing in the region’s long-term care homes, many of which are experiencing severe COVID-19 outbreaks.
New for December 2020, we are able to examine the top hiring sectors in the region by two-digit NAICS. From this, we can see the impacts COVID-19 is having on industry based on which sectors are hiring the most in our region. For instance, there is a high demand in sectors such as Health Care and Social Assistance, Transportation and Warehousing, and Accommodation and Food Services, but not as much of a demand for Arts, Entertainment and Recreation due to the nature of COVID-19’s impacts on those sectors.
THE FINDINGS OF THIS REPORT WERE SOURCED FROM:
MONTHLY JOB DEMAND REPORT
ABOUT THIS REPORT:
As of April 2019, the monthly Job Demand Report for Windsor-Essex is created by Workforce WindsorEssex using data collected from 14 unique national, provincial and locally-significant job boards. Between May 2017 and March 2019, job posting data was purchased from CEB Talent Neuron.
MONTHLY JOB SEARCH REPORT
The monthly Job Search Report for Windsor-Essex is created by Workforce WindsorEssex using data collected from four job finding tools, including WEexplore, WEmap jobs, WEjobs board, and the Bridge Timeline Tool. Gender and age information of users is voluntarily shared with the organization.
Questions? Please contact: info@workforcewindsoressex.com.
