Labour Market Insights
Retail, Food Services, and Ontario’s New Minimum Wage: Top Occupations and In-Demand Jobs for Windsor-Essex for October 2022
As of October 1, Ontario’s minimum wage increased from $15.00 per hour to $15.50 per hour. The number of minimum wage jobs in Windsor increased 14.4% from 153 minimum wage jobs in September to 175 minimum wage jobs in October. Important to note is that, according to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, the Living Wage for the region was $15.52 in 2020 and has likely increased since then.
October saw 6,630 total active job postings from 2,056 companies for a decrease of 10.8% over the previous month’s 7,429 total active job postings. The Job Board and Job Map received 22,388 interactions from 5,356 users.
The top 15 searched-for occupations overall in Windsor-Essex for October 2022 were:
| Ranking | Searched Overall in October 2022 | Number of Search Instances (October 2022) | Net Change from September 2022 | % Change from September 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail Salespersons | 1,140 | +47 | +4.3% |
| 2 | Other Customer and Information Services Representatives | 664 | -75 | -10.2% |
| 3 | Other Labourers in Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities | 568 | +64 | +12.7% |
| 4 | Material Handlers | 554 | +3 | +0.5% |
| 5 | Administrative Assistants | 458 | -79 | -14.7% |
| 6 | Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Support Occupations | 395 | -242 | -38.0% |
| 7 | Administrative Officers | 391 | +119 | +43.8% |
| 8 | Home Support Workers, Housekeepers and Related Occupations | 377 | -20 | -5.0% |
| 9 | Receptionists | 372 | +80 | +27.4% |
| 10 | Construction Trades Helpers and Labourers | 350 | -68 | -16.3% |
| 11 | Social and Community Service Workers | 298 | -27 | -8.3% |
| 12 | Janitors, Caretakers and Building Superintendents | 298 | +56 | +23.1% |
| 13 | Transport Truck Drivers | 271 | -12 | -4.1% |
| 14 | Light Duty Cleaners | 267 | -22 | -7.6% |
| 15 | Retail and Wholesale Trade Managers | 244 | -15 | -5.8% |
To learn more about the occupations listed in these tables, visit the Career Library.
The top 15 searched-for occupations by men in Windsor-Essex for October 2022 were:
| Ranking | Searched by Men in October 2022 | Number of Search Instances (October 2022) | Net Change from September 2022 | % Change from September 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other Labourers in Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities | 280 | +64 | +29.6% |
| 2 | Retail Salesperson | 264 | -46 | -14.8% |
| 3 | Material Handlers | 217 | +24 | +12.4% |
| 4 | Construction Trades Helpers and Labourers | 155 | -8 | -4.9% |
| 5 | Other Customer and Information Services Representatives | 125 | -38 | -23.3% |
| 6 | Janitors, Caretakers and Building Superintendents | 104 | +20 | +23.8% |
| 7 | Home Support Workers, Housekeepers and Related Occupations | 97 | -14 | -12.6% |
| 8 | Labourers in Food and Beverage Processing | 94 | +45 | +91.8% |
| 9 | Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Support Occupations | 90 | -120 | -57.1% |
| 10 | Transport Truck Drivers | 83 | +22 | +36.1% |
| 11 | Delivery and Courier Service Drivers | 80 | 0 | 0% |
| 12 | Light Duty Cleaners | 75 | -4 | -5.1% |
| 13 | Security Guards and Related Security Service Occupations | 71 | -9 | -11.3% |
| 14 | Retail and Wholesale Trade managers | 66 | -22 | -25.0% |
| 15 | Cooks | 58 | -36 | -38.3% |
The top 15 searched-for occupations by women in Windsor-Essex for October 2022 were:
| Ranking | Searched by Women in October 2022 | Number of Search Instances (October 2022) | Net Change from September 2022 | % Change from September 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail Salespersons | 388 | +59 | +17.9% |
| 2 | Other Customer and Information Services Representatives | 227 | -8 | -3.4% |
| 3 | Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Support Occupations | 140 | -63 | -31.0% |
| 4 | Administrative Assistants | 137 | -53 | -27.9% |
| 5 | Receptionists | 133 | +22 | +19.8% |
| 6 | Home Support Workers, Housekeepers and Related Occupations | 110 | -4 | -3.5% |
| 7 | Accounting Technicians and Bookkeepers | 106 | +42 | +65.6% |
| 8 | Other Labourers in Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities | 102 | -7 | -6.4% |
| 9 | Light Duty Cleaners | 99 | +2 | +2.1% |
| 10 | Administrative Assistants | 97 | -93 | -49.0% |
| 11 | Social and Community Service Workers | 94 | -49 | -34.3% |
| 12 | Cooks | 89 | -6 | -6.3% |
| 13 | Cashiers | 81 | -4 | -4.7% |
| 14 | Retail and Wholesale Trade Managers | 79 | 0 | 0% |
| 15 | Processional Occupations in Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations | 70 | +4 | +6.1% |
The top 20 in-demand occupations by local employers for October 2022 were:
| Ranking | In-Demand Occupation for October 2022 | Posting Count (October 2022) | Net Change from September 2022 | % Change from September 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail Salespersons | 579 | -54 | -8.5% |
| 2 | Other Customer and Information Services Representatives | 187 | -40 | -17.6% |
| 3 | Transport Truck Drivers | 183 | +1 | +0.6% |
| 4 | Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Support Occupations | 176 | -44 | -20.0% |
| 5 | Home Support Workers, Housekeepers and Related Occupations | 138 | -15 | -9.8% |
| 6 | Material Handlers | 135 | -32 | -19.2% |
| 7 | Other Labourers in Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities | 126 | -11 | -8.0% |
| 8 | Construction Trades Helpers and Labourers | 125 | -27 | -17.8% |
| 9 | Retail and Wholesale Trade Managers | 120 | -23 | -16.1% |
| 10 | Cooks | 117 | -13 | -10.0% |
| 11 | Janitors, Caretakers and Building Superintendents | 112 | -11 | -8.9% |
| 12 | Food Service Supervisors | 95 | -22 | -18.8% |
| 13 | Machinists and Machining and Tooling Inspectors | 87 | +8 | +10.1% |
| 14 | Security Guards and Related Security Service Occupations | 79 | -4 | -4.8% |
| 15 | Light Duty Cleaners | 78 | -4 | -4.9% |
| 16 | Registered Nurses and Registered Psychiatric Nurses | 72 | +6 | +9.1% |
| 17 | Financial Managers | 71 | -3 | -4.4% |
| 18 | Tool and Die Makers | 70 | -7 | -9.1% |
| 19 | Administrative Officers | 69 | -14 | -16.9% |
| 20 | Administrative Assistants | 69 | -25 | -26.6% |
While hiring for Retail Salespersons was down 8.5% over the previous month, the occupation is still high in demand and 27.8% above where it was in October 2021 (453 total active job postings), 139.3% higher than October 2020 (242 total active job postings), and 97.6% higher than October 2019 (293 total active job postings). Hiring for Retail Salespersons typically increases at this time of year as businesses gear up for the holiday season.
Hiring was also down in the Accommodation and Food Services Sector in such occupations as Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Support Occupations (down 20% from the previous month); Food Service Supervisors (down 18.8% from the previous month); and Cooks (down 10% from the previous month). While restrictions at the border were lifted at the beginning of October, hiring in tourism-related sectors did not see an increase in demand over the previous months. These listed occupations, however, are still very much on an upward trend year over year.
Hiring for Food Counter Attendants, Kitchen Helpers and Related Occupations is up 26.6% from 139 total active job postings in October 2021, up 158.8% from 139 total active job postings in October 2020, and up 109.5% from 84 total active job postings in October 2019. Hiring for Food Service Supervisors is up 108.9% from 45 total active job postings in October 2021 and up 347.6% from 21 total active job postings in both 2020 and 2019. Hiring for Cooks is up 4.5% from 112 total active job postings in October 2021, up 28.6% from 91 total active job postings in October 2020, and up 39.3% from 84 total active job postings in October 2019.
Hiring by 2-Digit NAICS:
| Ranking | NAICS Code | 2-Digit NAICS Label | Posting Count | Average Posting Length in Days | Media Posting Length in Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 44-45 | Retail trade | 975 | 20.0 | 20 |
| 2. | 56 | Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services | 922 | 19.6 | 20 |
| 3. | 31-33 | Manufacturing | 747 | 21.4 | 20 |
| 4. | 62 | Health care and social assistance | 715 | 22.5 | 20 |
| 5. | 72 | Accommodation and food services | 403 | 19.3 | 20 |
| 6. | 54 | Professional, scientific and technical services | 383 | 21.2 | 20 |
| 7. | 81 | Other services (except public administration) | 332 | 25.6 | 20 |
| 8. | 52 | Finance and insurance | 272 | 18.2 | 20 |
| 9. | 48-49 | Transportation and warehousing | 269 | 23.7 | 20 |
| 10. | 11 | Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting | 254 | 23.6 | 20 |
| 11. | 23 | Construction | 179 | 22.7 | 20 |
| 12. | 91 | Public administration | 160 | 22.6 | 20 |
| 13. | 61 | Educational services | 113 | 16.9 | 20 |
| 14. | 53 | Real estate and rental and leasing | 98 | 22.9 | 20 |
| 15. | 41 | Wholesale trade | 91 | 19.4 | 20 |
| 16. | 71 | Arts, entertainment and recreation | 70 | 19.5 | 20 |
| 17. | 51 | Information and cultural industries | 64 | 17.2 | 20 |
| 18. | 22 | Utilities | 18 | 20.6 | 20 |
| 19. | 55 | Management of companies and enterprises | 7 | 19 | 20 |
| 20. | 21 | Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction | 5 | 20 | 20 |
Looking at hiring by 2-digit NAICS, job postings are down 10.8% in Retail Trade (from 1,093 total active job postings in September to 975 in October). This is also down 4.2% from October 2021 (from 1,018 total active job postings):
Hiring was down 10.2% in Accommodation and Food Services (from 449 total active job postings in September to 403 in October), but this is still an increase of 22.5% from October 2021 (from 329 total active job postings):
Hiring by 6-Digit NAICS:
| Ranking | NAICS Code | 6-Digit NAICS Label | Posting Count | Average Posting Length in Days | Median Posting Length in Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 561310 | Employment placement agencies and executive search services* | 684 | 19.5 | 20 |
| 2. | 813410 | Civic and social organizations | 199 | 23.7 | 20 |
| 3. | 445110 | Supermarkets and other grocery (except convenience) stores | 177 | 23.2 | 20 |
| 4. | 722512 | Limited-service eating places | 172 | 20.3 | 20 |
| 5. | 541330 | Engineering services | 128 | 24.9 | 20 |
| 6. | 624190 | Other individual and family services | 121 | 35.3 | 20 |
| 7. | 722511 | Full-service restaurants | 118 | 18.9 | 20 |
| 8. | 446110 | Pharmacies and drug stores | 118 | 20.5 | 20 |
| 9. | 111993 | Fruit and vegetable combination farming | 117 | 25.2 | 20 |
| 10. | 622111 | General (except paediatric) hospitals | 108 | 19.7 | 20 |
| 11. | 452999 | All other miscellaneous general merchandise stores | 106 | 19.0 | 20 |
| 12. | 522111 | Personal and commercial banking industry | 104 | 16.1 | 20 |
| 13. | 913910 | Other local, municipal and regional public administration | 97 | 22.9 | 20 |
| 14. | 623110 | Nursing care facilities | 87 | 23.9 | 20 |
| 15. | 484122 | General freight trucking, long distance, less than truck-load | 83 | 33.3 | 20 |
| 16. | 333511 | Industrial mould manufacturing | 81 | 19.4 | 20 |
| 17. | 442110 | Furniture stores | 69 | 15.4 | 20 |
| 18. | 623310 | Community care facilities for the elderly | 63 | 19.0 | 20 |
| 19. | 332999 | All other miscellaneous fabricated metal product manufacturing | 63 | 26.2 | 20 |
| 20. | 336110 | Automobile and light-duty motor vehicle manufacturing | 59 | 19.6 | 20 |
*Note: Many postings for “Employment placement agencies and executive search services” do not reflect that specific sector, as they hire on behalf of others.
Looking at hiring by 6-digit NAICS, we can see what types of establishments are hiring in the various sectors. In the Retail Trade sector, hiring in Supermarkets and Other Grocery (Except Convenience) Stores is down 12.4% from the previous month (177 total active job postings in October as compared to 202 in September) and All Other Miscellaneous General Merchandise Stores is down 27.9% (106 total active job postings in October as compared to 147 in September). Hiring in Pharmacies and Drug Stores is up 18% from the previous month (118 total active job postings in October as compared to 100 in September) and Furniture Stores is up 4.6% from the previous month (69 total active job postings in October as compared to 66 in September).
In the Accommodation and Food Services sector, hiring is down 16.5% for Limited-Service Eating Places (176 total active job postings in October as compared to 206 in September) and down 7.1% for Full-Service Restaurants (118 total active job postings in October as compared to 127 in September).
It is possible that since many jobs in the above-mentioned sectors are minimum wage jobs, employers may not be able to hire the additional staff at the increased rate or are perhaps waiting until closer to the holiday season to see what the demands on their business.
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 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.
