The trade war with the United States is taking its toll on Windsor-area workers as the region’s unemployment rate jumped to a national high of 11.2 per cent in June. Last month’s unemployment figures increased by 0.4 while Ontario enjoyed a 0.1 drop to 7.8 per cent, and the national rate shrank similarly to 6.9 per cent.

The number of unemployed people locally rose by 800 to 29,200. That’s more than double June 2023’s total of 14,200.“These numbers are very concerning,” said Workforce WindsorEssex CEO Justin Falconer. “The number of unemployed people tells you the real story on the ground. The highest unemployment rate we’ve had in the past 14 years was 17.5 per cent during Covid (May 2020).

“We’re not there yet, but we’re certainly out of the norm for us.”Windsor’s unemployment rate is 1.2 per cent higher than the next closest municipality, Peterborough, which sits at 10.0 per cent.

Southwestern Ontario’s manufacturing heartland shared the unemployment pain, with London experiencing a 0.3 jump to 7.2 per cent, while Guelph’s rate rose 0.9 to 5.8 per cent. Kitchener-Waterloo’s tech corridor enjoyed a 0.1 decrease to 7.2 per cent.The slowdown in employment opportunities is also being matched by the area experiencing the first month of no population growth in four years. The Windsor-Essex region’s population remained at 409,800 residents.“It’s the first time in 48 months our population hasn’t grown,” Falconer said. “Over those 48 months, we’ve added 44,000 people who are 15 years of age or older.”Falconer said the rise in Windsor’s unemployment rate is clearly linked to the beginning of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff campaign.