Ontario had worst private-sector job growth of all Great Lakes states from 2019 to 2024
Comparing Private Sector Job Creation in Canadian Provinces and U.S. States 2019-2024;
TORONTO—Over a recent five-year period, Ontario had the worst record of creating private-sector jobs of all the provinces and U.S. states in the Great Lakes region, according to a new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“Despite political rhetoric, Canada has performed poorly compared to America in creating private-sector jobs, and the Great Lakes region is illustrative of this national pattern,” said Ben Eisen, a senior fellow with the Fraser Institute and co-author of Comparing Private Sector Job Creation in Canadian Provinces and U.S. States 2019-2024.
The study finds that, after adjusting for growth of the working-age population, the United States has substantially outperformed Canada in terms of private-sector job creation from 2019-2024. Specifically, whereas the U.S. added 7.6 private-sector jobs for every 1,000 working-aged persons over the five-year period, Canada added none.
In fact, if private-sector job creation (adjusted for working-age population change) in Canada had kept pace with the United States since 2019, Canada would have created an additional 554,000 private-sector jobs in 2024.
On a regional level, of the ten Great Lakes jurisdictions, Ontario performed the worst and actually lost 17.8 private-sector jobs per 1,000 working-aged people over the period. Indiana lost 14.0 and Quebec lost 5.5.
All other Great Lakes states added private-sector jobs: Wisconsin (33.3), Michigan (16.3), New York (13.6), Illinois (11.8), Ohio (9), Pennsylvania (2.7) and Minnesota (1.3).
“Canadian politicians have frequently pointed to strong employment growth in recent years as evidence of a healthy labour market, but the data tell a different story,” Eisen said.
“In Ontario and all across Canada, private-sector employment has failed to keep pace with growth in the working-age population.”
Media Contact:
Ben Eisen, Senior Fellow
Fraser Institute
To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact:
Erin Clemens, Fraser Institute
604-688-0221 ext.615
erin.clemens@fraserinstitute.org
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