Are part-time jobs going extinct in the province of Ontario?
In January, the economic engine of Canada hiked the minimum wage 20 percent to $14 per hour. In that same month, Ontario lost more than 50,000 part-time jobs – it only gained 8,500 full-time positions. This means there were 46,100, or 3.4 percent, fewer part-time gigs last month than the same time in the previous year.
Is there a correlation between the minimum wage hike and the evisceration of part-time posts?
Ontario Economic Development Minister Steven Del Duca scoffed at the suggestion, espousing the same old Liberal Party talking points.
“The numbers we’ve seen this month, as it relates to part-time employment, are part of a national trend. We see similar circumstances, numbers or trends in other parts of the country. We know we lead the country in growth. We know we have more work to do,” Del Duca said on Friday.
“We see that this is a national trend taking place at this particular moment in time. We don’t tend to look at month- by-month numbers in isolation. It’s most important for us to look at the trend and the trend in Ontario is a good one. There is confidence here in this province.”
Over the last month, the province has been rocked by businesses, particularly smaller companies, reducing benefits, cutting hours, eliminating programs, decreasing staffing levels, and raising prices.
At the same time, the province has introduced a plethora of new labor laws, including the revision that part-time workers need to be paid the same as full-time workers.
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