The St.Catharines – Niagara CMA was well below Ontario’s bigger growth performers by far; Kichener, Sudbury and Toronto were leaders. However, Hamilton, Windsor, Ottawa, Thunder Bay, London, and Kingston had participation rates below our CMA.
Yearly employment percentage by CMA in the first quarter of 2011:
Source: CIBC Metropolitan Economic Activity Index 2011
The first quarter for 2009 indicated negative employment growth for our CMA; 2010 was only slightly higher, growing by 0.4%; and the first quarter of 2011 showed 1.9% growth. Full-time employment in the first quarter of 2011 has gone down only slightly to 82.1% from 82.3% in the first quarter of 2009. However, the St. Catharines ratio of full-time as a share of total employment is second from the bottom compared to all other CMAs in Canada.. Growth may be greater in non full-time employment.
