Min wage up, p/t jobs down

Photo: The Canadian Press

Ontario shed 59,300 part-time jobs in January as the province implemented a $2.40 cent minimum wage hike at the start of the month.

Statistics Canada says the province shed 50,800 jobs total from December 2017, gaining 8,500 full-time positions but losing 59,300 part-time gigs.

That's 46,100 fewer people in part-time posts in January 2018 than the same time the previous year — a 3.4 per cent drop.

The province hiked minimum wage by some 20 per cent to $14 per hour at the beginning of the year, a move some economists said could result in mass job losses as employers look to reduce costs.

The Conference Board of Canada's chief economist Craig Alexander said in a note that while some may speculate the provincial employment drop could be related to the new minimum wage, there is a lot of volatility in job numbers and time will tell to what extent the two are correlated.