Labour Market Insights
Holiday Slowdowns: Top Occupations and In-Demand Jobs for Windsor-Essex for December 2023
Looking at the search and demand numbers for December 2023 can seem a little lackluster, with total active job postings, searches, and in-demand sectors all seeing decreases in activity. In reviewing the data, it is important to note that job postings and interest do typically decrease at this time of the year. In fact, we saw a similar decrease in total active job postings at this time last year, down 9.9% from 6,286 November 2022 to 5,663 in December 2022.
In December 2023, there were 4,785 total active job postings from 1,692 companies for a decrease of 10% from the previous month’s 5,353 total active job postings. We also saw a 27% decrease in new job postings in December over November, with 1,864 new jobs posted in the month of December. As many companies are not hiring in December, having hired additional staff leading up to the holidays, this is not unusual activity. The Job Board received 17,509 job post clicks, down 18% from the previous month, which is again, not unusual activity considering the time of year and that many jobseekers would hold off on searching for jobs during the holiday season.
The top 15 searched-for occupations overall in Windsor-Essex for December 2023 on the Job Board were:
| Ranking | Searched Overall in December 2023 | Number of Search Instances (December 2023) | Net Change from November 2023 | % Change from November 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail Salespersons | 785 | -298 | -27.5% |
| 2 | Other Labourers in Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities | 549 | +61 | +12.5% |
| 3 | Material Handlers | 531 | -226 | -29.9% |
| 4 | Other Customer and Information Services Representatives | 487 | -39 | -7.4% |
| 5 | Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Support Occupations | 467 | -195 | -29.5% |
| 6 | Administrative Assistants | 391 | -84 | -17.7% |
| 7 | Home Support Workers, Housekeepers and Related Occupations | 308 | -98 | -23.2% |
| 8 | Store Shelf Stockers, Clerks and Order Fillers | 255 | -259 | -50.4% |
| 9 | Administrative Officers | 253 | -58 | -18.7% |
| 10 | Construction Trades Helpers and Labourers | 250 | -92 | -26.9% |
| 11 | Social and Community Service Workers | 235 | -59 | -20.1% |
| 12 | Light Duty Cleaners | 206 | -3 | -1.4% |
| 13 | Delivery and Courier Service Drivers | 200 | -259 | -56.4% |
| 14 | Janitors, Caretakers and Building Superintendents | 198 | -212 | -51.7% |
| 15 | Medical Administrative Assitants | 197 | -54 | -21.5% |
These numbers are specific to the Job Board. To learn more about the occupations listed in these tables, visit the Career Library.
Almost all of the top 15 searched-for occupations saw a decrease in activity from jobseekers in December as compared to November, save for Other Labourers in Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities, which saw a 12.5% increase.
As noted above, many jobseekers may opt to hold off on their job searches until after the holiday season, or may have picked up seasonal work already leading up to the month of December.
The top 20 in-demand occupations by local employers for December 2023 were:
| Ranking | In-Demand Occupation for December 2023 | Posting Count (December 2023) | Net Change from November 2023 | % Change from November 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail Salespersons | 152 | -77 | -33.6% |
| 2 | Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses | 148 | -21 | -14.2% |
| 3 | Home Support Workers, Housekeepers and Related Occupations | 105 | -11 | -9.5% |
| 4 | Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Support Occupations | 105 | -32 | -23.4% |
| 5 | Transport Truck Drivers | 92 | +15 | +19.5% |
| 6 | Cooks | 85 | -17 | -16.7% |
| 7 | Material Handlers | 74 | -28 | -27.5% |
| 8 | Other Customer and Information Services Representatives | 72 | -12 | -14.3% |
| 9 | Medical Administrative Assistants | 65 | +22 | +51.2% |
| 10 | Retail and Wholesale Trade Managers | 64 | -26 | -28.9% |
| 11 | Janitors, Caretakers and Building Superintendents | 63 | -33 | -34.4% |
| 12 | Other Labourers in Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities | 63 | -7 | -10.0% |
| 13 | Administrative Assistants | 60 | -12 | -16.7% |
| 14 | Construction Millwrights and Industrial Mechanics | 60 | 0 | 0% |
| 15 | Administrative Officers | 57 | -15 | -20.8% |
| 16 | Food Service Supervisors | 57 | -13 | -18.6% |
| 17 | Machinists and Machining and Tooling Inspectors | 57 | -6 | -9.5% |
| 18 | Mechanical Engineers | 55 | -11 | -16.7% |
| 19 | Store Shelf Stockers, Clerks and Order Fillers | 51 | -48 | -48.5% |
| 20 | Delivery and Courier Service Drivers | 50 | 0 | 0% |
Notable on the in-demand occupations list is the addition of Medical Administrative Assistants, which saw a 51.2% increase in total active job postings in December as compared to November. Medical Administrative Assistants perform a variety of secretarial and administrative duties in doctor’s offices, hospitals, medical clinics, and other medical settings. Regional employers for Medical Administrative Assistants include Windsor Regional Hospital, Erie St. Clair Radiology Clinic – Walker Road, Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, Windsor Urgent Care, and The Hospice of Windsor Essex County Inc. The increase here could be partly attributed to the cyberattack impacting local regional hospitals as they would need more administrative staff to assist patients and medical staff while computer systems were inaccessible.
Also seeing a significant increase in demand is Transport Truck Drivers, up 19.5% in December as compared to November. Transport Truck Drivers operate heavy trucks to transport goods and materials over urban, interurban, provincial, and international routes. They are employed by transportation, manufacturing, distribution and moving companies, and trucking employment service agencies, or they may be self-employed. This also includes drivers of special purpose trucks and shunters who move trailers to and from loading docks within trucking yards or lots. Regional employers for Transport Truck Drivers include Laser Transport Inc., Gorski Bulk Transport Inc., DSL Express Trucking, Highline Mushrooms, and Farrow.
The remaining occupations on the in-demand list all saw decreases or no change in total active job postings, but now that the holiday season has concluded, we will likely see increases in job postings in January 2024’s numbers.
Hiring by 2-Digit NAICS:
In looking at Hiring by 2-Digit NAICS, we can see how in-demand different sectors are in Windsor-Essex.
| Ranking | NAICS Code | 2-Digit NAICS Label | Posting Count (December 2023) | Net Change from November 2023 | % Change from November 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 62 | Healthcare and Social Assistance | 817 | -72 | -8.1% |
| 2. | 31-33 | Manufacturing | 729 | -112 | -13.3% |
| 3. | 56 | Administrative and Support, Waste Management and Remediation Services | 700 | -173 | -19.8% |
| 4. | 44-45 | Retail Trade | 648 | -219 | -25.3% |
| 5. | 54 | Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 378 | -13 | -3.3% |
| 6. | 48-49 | Transportation and Warehousing | 297 | +52 | +21.2% |
| 7. | 72 | Accommodation and Food Services | 276 | -58 | -17.4% |
| 8. | 81 | Other Services (Except Public Administration) | 265 | -49 | -15.6% |
| 9. | 11 | Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | 246 | +9 | +3.8% |
| 10. | 23 | Construction | 240 | +4 | +1.7% |
| 11. | 52 | Finance and Insurance | 217 | +11 | +5.3% |
| 12. | 91 | Public Administration | 200 | +38 | +23.5% |
| 13. | 61 | Educational Services | 127 | -6 | -4.5% |
| 14. | 41 | Wholesale Trade | 104 | -8 | -7.1% |
| 15. | 53 | Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 75 | +5 | +7.1% |
| 16. | 71 | Arts, Entertainment and Recreation | 70 | -6 | -7.9% |
| 17. | 51 | Information and Cultural Industries | 66 | +15 | +29.4% |
| 18. | 22 | Utilities | 25 | -6 | -19.4% |
| 19. | 21 | Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 15 | +1 | +7.1% |
| 20. | 55 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | 6 | -2 | -25.0% |
While the Healthcare and Social Assistance sector saw a 8.1% decrease in total active job postings in December as compared to November, it is still the top hiring sector for the region. We can see this reflected further in the increase in job postings for Medical Administrative Assistants and in the top hiring employers table further below.
Many sectors did see decreases in total active job postings in December as compared to November, which aligns with the time of year and can be expected. Some sectors did see an increase in total active job postings, however, including Information and Cultural Industries (up 29.4%), Public Administration (up 23.5%), and Transportation and Warehousing (up 21.2%), the latter of which coincides with the increase in demand for Transport Truck Drivers.
Top Languages and Keywords:
Of the 4,785 total active jobs in December 2023, 136 were for jobs that require a language other than English. Of the 34 new job posts for the month of December, 17 of them were looking for French language.
Of the 4,785 total active jobs in December 2023, 136 were for jobs that require a language other than English. Of the 34 new job posts for the month of December, 17 of them were looking for French language.
Of those performing language searches on the Job Board, most were looking for Spanish language jobs (11), followed by Bilingual (nine) and French (nine). We did also see some searches by keyword, with three searches for “French” and one search for “French jobs”.
The top keyword searches, however, do not have anything to do with language specifically, rather it seems like some jobseekers are looking to add other income streams or get a head start on tax season hiring. The top keyword in December was “part time”. Also on the list is “remote”. For the upcoming tax season, we see “CPA” and “accounting” high on the list. As the tax season approaches, we will likely see this reflected in the demand and search data as well.
Top Hiring Employers:
Looking at the companies posting jobs in Windsor-Essex, the below table shows the top 10 hiring companies in the region.
| Ranking | Company | Number of Postings (December 2023) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Windsor Regional Hospital - Met Campus | 188 |
| 2. | The Corporation of the City of Windsor | 56 |
| 3. | Loblaw Companies Limited | 54 |
| 4. | Windsor Regional Hospital - Met Campus | 45 |
| 5. | NextStar Energy | 37 |
| 6. | Nature Fresh Farms Inc. | 33 |
| 7. | CenterLine (Windsor) Limited | 31 |
| 8. | Mastronardi Produce Limited | 30 |
| 9. | Walmart Canada | 26 |
| 10. | University of Windsor | 25 |
Here we see more directly where much of the demand in the Healthcare and Social Assistance sector is coming from. And while job postings in the Retail sector were down, we can see that they are still a top hiring sector with both Loblaw Companies Limited and Walmart Canada on this list. We can also see a demand in the Manufacturing sector from NextStar Energy and CenterLine (Windsor) Limited.
THE FINDINGS OF THIS REPORT WERE SOURCED FROM:
MONTHLY JOB DEMAND REPORT
As of April 2019, the monthly Job Demand Report for Windsor-Essex is created by Workforce WindsorEssex using data collected from 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.
