91,000 fewer Ontarians received a pay cheque in July

By Tom Parkin

September 26th, 2025

BURLINGTON, ON

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s big announcement today was on flashing radar speed signs.

Ford has been on an angry rant about speed radar machines lately, a problem he created. His regulations allowed the machines, his regulations set the fines. It’s the gong show.

What should have been flashing for the premier was today’s data showing in July Ontario lost 91,000 employment positions and employers were looking to fill 19,000 fewer job openings.

The premier has told jobless workers to “get off your A-S-S” and “look harder” for jobs. Doug Ford doesn’t think it’s his problem, and he has no plan to fix it.

Job openings tumble 60%

The cost to Ontarians isn’t just in dollars. It’s also in wasted opportunity, especially for young workers trying to break into the job market

The number of job openings has tanked, and it’s not just since Trump.

StatsCan’s July Survey of Employment, Payroll and Hours (SEPH), released today, found 19,000 fewer job openings in July than June.

Job opportunities have now fallen by over 60 per cent since April 2022. That’s Doug, not Donald.

Job opportunities have now fallen by over 60 per cent since April 2022. That’s Doug, not Donald.

StatsCan’s most recent Ontario Labour Force Survey shows 807,000 unemployed workers chasing 161,500 open jobs. That’s more than five job-seekers for every job opening.

A very high price is being paid by a rising number of Ontarians without a paycheque.

The SEPH report shows in July there were 91,000 fewer employees than June and fewer employees than back in June of 2023.

And every consumer-oriented business will also pay the price of 91,000 fewer paycheques in the provincial economy.

Forest industries have been hard hit by the collapse of the housing industry.

So will the provincial treasury, which is filled by the income tax contributions of employed workers and the sales tax remittances of the businesses they shop at.

The jobs cost comes at a very delicate time as tariffs hit Ontario’s steel, auto and forestry industries.

Steel mills in Hamilton and Sault Ste. Marie face steep challenges finding new markets. Currently, two of Southern Ontario’s eight auto assembly plants are not rolling any product off the line. Northern Ontario logging and saw mills, which supply homebuilding, are paying the price for both Trump’s tariffs and Ford’s housing collapse.