Truckers big part of heavy job losses

OTTAWA — An unprecedented number of Canadians began the New Year out of work in 2009.

Nearly all the jobs lost in Canada in January came out of Ontario, B.C. and Quebec, with the bulk of those in the manufacturing and about 25 percent in transportation sectors, including trucking.

According to Stats Canada, employment fell by a whopping 129,000 jobs in January, almost all in full time, pushing the national unemployment rate up to 7.2 percent. This drop in employment exceeds any monthly decline during the previous economic downturns of the 1980s and 1990s and, in one month, represents about 60 percent of all jobs lost since October.

The freefall in employment was most pronounced in Ontario, which lost 71,000 jobs, many in manufacturing. Nearly all of the rest of the job losses came from B.C. (-35,000) and Quebec (-26,000).

The losses mostly came out of manufacturing — automobile makers were the hardest hit — but furniture; computer and electronic; non-metallic mineral product; electrical equipment, appliance and components; and clothing manufacturing were all affected as well.

About 30,000 of the lost jobs were in transportation and warehousing, largely, says Statscan, in truck transportation in Ontario.

The national trucking fleet population is falling quickly as fleets cut capacity in response to wilting transportation demand.

According to an Ontario Trucking Association member survey, nearly half of fleets questioned said they trimmed capacity out of their operation in the last quarter of 2008, compared to just 30 percent in a previously quarterly survey.

Another 53 percent they expected to take more drivers and trucks off the road over the next few months of 2009.

Ontario’s 71,000 drop was its largest in over three decades, pushing the province’s unemployment rate to 8 percent, the highest since November 1997.

B.C.’s unemployment rate jumped to 6.1 percent, while Quebec’s climbed to 7.7 percent.