TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 22, 2014) - New research shows that Hudak's proposed cuts of 100,000 public sector jobs would have devastating effects across the province and lead to skyrocketing unemployment rates for many communities.
In Toronto, Hudak's wreckless job cuts are estimated to lead to a whopping 62,892 job losses. Based on the latest employment figures, this would drive unemployment up by 1.8 percent and leave Torontonians burdened with a 9.6 percent unemployment rate.
"This research points to the danger of Hudak's brash schemes. Peoples' futures will be seriously harmed and it will take years to recover," warned OFL President Sid Ryan. "It is a foolhardy unemployment plan that demonstrates how little Hudak understands or cares about real people and their aspirations."
"Hudak's plan will devastate families and communities that are already struggling," said CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn. "They'll mean more hospital bed closures and fewer supports in schools for children. They will mean longer wait lists for vital public services such as child care, developmental services and long-term care beds. We need more jobs and public services, not Hudak's cuts."
This research also accounts for the impacts that public sector job losses would have on employment in the private sector. "Local businesses and downtowns will be the first to feel the pain. People without paychecks necessarily watch their pennies carefully, and it is a given that when these workers lose their jobs, they will not be contributing to the local economy as they once did," said Ryan.
The research was conducted by CUPE Senior Economist Toby Sanger. The job loss and unemployment numbers were calculated using the most recent detailed data on employment by industry and occupation for Ontario communities from the National Household Survey and the Labour Force Survey, excluding sectors that would not be affected. It also takes into account the spinoff job losses that would be experienced in the private sector using a standard economic jobs multiplier of 0.67.
The summary below documents the estimated impacts of Hudak's proposed 100,000 public service job cuts in towns and cities across Ontario:
| Town or City (Census Metropolitan Area) |
Estimated Job losses | Change in Unemployment | Resulting Unemployment based on April 2014 rates | |||
| Peterborough | 2,057 | 3.2% | 14.8% | |||
| St Catherines -Niagara | 5,301 | 2.5% | 10.7% | |||
| Windsor | 3,964 | 2.4% | 10.8% | |||
| Thunder Bay | 2,460 | 3.8% | 9.6% | |||
| Ottawa | 11,159 | 1.9% | 8.8% | |||
| Kingston | 3,333 | 3.8% | 10.2% | |||
| Oshawa | 6,134 | 2.9% | 9.9% | |||
| Toronto | 62,892 | 1.8% | 9.6% | |||
| Hamilton | 10,555 | 2.6% | 9.0% | |||
| Kitchener - Cambridge - Waterloo | 6,142 | 2.0% | 8.8% | |||
| Guelph | 2,480 | 3.2% | 10.4% | |||
| London | 7,116 | 2.7% | 10.7% | |||
| Barrie | 2,547 | 2.2% | 9.4% | |||
| Greater Sudbury | 2,785 | 3.2% | 9.4% |
Contact Information:
Sid Ryan
OFL President
416-209-0066
https://twitter.com/SidRyan_OFL
Ontario Federation of Labour
Lynn Simmons
OFL Communications
416-795-1427
lsimmons@ofl.ca
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
Craig Saunders
CUPE Communications
416-576-7316
csaunders@cupe.ca