WhyDufferin · Workforce

Labour force, wages and commuting

Who works, what jobs pay and where people travel to work, for Dufferin's eight municipalities and eleven neighbours. Every figure links to the official table it came from. Missing values say "not found"; nothing is estimated.

Read with care. The 2021 Census counted the labour force in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions, so unemployment and working from home were unusually high. Labour Force Survey figures are for economic regions far larger than Dufferin. Checked 2026-10-21.

51.4%of Dufferin residents with a usual workplace commute outside the County (2021 Census) [source]
69.3%participation rate, Dufferin County (Ontario 62.8%)
19.8%of Dufferin commuters travel 60+ minutes (Ontario 9.1%)
7%unemployment, Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie region, 2025 (LFS) [source]

Labour force, May 2021

Participation rate, 2021 Census

Dufferin municipality   Neighbour

Participation rate, 2021 CensusShare of people aged 15+ in the labour force, Dufferin municipalities and neighboursGrand ValleyGrand Valley: 72.0%72.0%AmaranthAmaranth: 71.1%71.1%East GarafraxaEast Garafraxa: 71.1%71.1%MelancthonMelancthon: 70.2%70.2%ShelburneShelburne: 70.1%70.1%Halton HillsHalton Hills: 70.0%70.0%OrangevilleOrangeville: 69.9%69.9%ErinErin: 69.4%69.4%CaledonCaledon: 68.5%68.5%Adjala-TosorontioAdjala-Tosorontio: 67.1%67.1%ClearviewClearview: 67.0%67.0%BramptonBrampton: 66.8%66.8%New TecumsethNew Tecumseth: 66.3%66.3%MonoMono: 65.9%65.9%Centre WellingtonCentre Wellington: 64.9%64.9%MulmurMulmur: 64.8%64.8%SouthgateSouthgate: 64.2%64.2%Wellington NorthWellington North: 63.3%63.3%Grey HighlandsGrey Highlands: 60.7%60.7%Ontario 62.8%
Unemployment rate, May 2021 (2021 Census)

Dufferin municipality   Neighbour

Unemployment rate, May 2021 (2021 Census)Unemployment rate by municipality, May 2021BramptonBrampton: 13.3%13.3%CaledonCaledon: 11.2%11.2%OrangevilleOrangeville: 10.8%10.8%MonoMono: 10.1%10.1%ShelburneShelburne: 10.0%10.0%MulmurMulmur: 9.9%9.9%Halton HillsHalton Hills: 9.7%9.7%New TecumsethNew Tecumseth: 9.6%9.6%ClearviewClearview: 9.4%9.4%AmaranthAmaranth: 9.0%9.0%Adjala-TosorontioAdjala-Tosorontio: 9.0%9.0%East GarafraxaEast Garafraxa: 8.7%8.7%ErinErin: 8.2%8.2%Grand ValleyGrand Valley: 7.8%7.8%MelancthonMelancthon: 7.8%7.8%SouthgateSouthgate: 7.8%7.8%Grey HighlandsGrey Highlands: 7.4%7.4%Centre WellingtonCentre Wellington: 7.2%7.2%Wellington NorthWellington North: 6.1%6.1%Ontario 12.2%
Labour force status, population aged 15+, 2021 Census (25% sample)
MunicipalityAreaAged 15+In labour forceEmployedUnemployedParticipationEmployment rateUnemploymentSource
OrangevilleDufferin23,97016,76514,9551,80569.9%62.4%10.8% [source]
ShelburneDufferin6,8354,7904,31048070.1%63.1%10.0% [source]
Grand ValleyDufferin3,1102,2402,07017572.0%66.6%7.8% [source]
MonoDufferin7,8805,1904,66552565.9%59.2%10.1% [source]
MulmurDufferin3,1102,0151,81520064.8%58.4%9.9% [source]
MelancthonDufferin2,4801,7401,61013570.2%64.9%7.8% [source]
AmaranthDufferin3,5152,5002,27022571.1%64.6%9.0% [source]
East GarafraxaDufferin2,3501,6701,52514571.1%64.9%8.7% [source]
CaledonPeel62,93543,14038,3054,83568.5%60.9%11.2% [source]
BramptonPeel532,540355,755308,36047,40566.8%57.9%13.3% [source]
Halton HillsHalton51,62036,15532,6303,52570.0%63.2%9.7% [source]
ErinWellington10,1457,0406,45558069.4%63.6%8.2% [source]
Centre WellingtonWellington25,31016,42515,2601,17564.9%60.3%7.2% [source]
Wellington NorthWellington9,7656,1855,81037563.3%59.5%6.1% [source]
New TecumsethSimcoe35,09523,25521,0252,23066.3%59.9%9.6% [source]
Adjala-TosorontioSimcoe9,2606,2105,65056067.1%61.0%9.0% [source]
ClearviewSimcoe12,2558,2057,43077567.0%60.6%9.4% [source]
Grey HighlandsGrey8,5055,1604,78038060.7%56.2%7.4% [source]
SouthgateGrey6,7204,3153,98033564.2%59.2%7.8% [source]
Dufferin County (CD 3522)Dufferin53,25036,91033,2203,69069.3%62.4%10.0% [source]
OntarioOntario11,782,8207,399,2006,492,895906,31062.8%55.1%12.2% [source]

Unemployment since 2021 (Labour Force Survey)

Annual averages for the economic regions that contain Dufferin and its neighbours. Statistics Canada does not publish LFS estimates for Dufferin alone.

Unemployment rate by economic region, 2021–2025

Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie   Toronto   Stratford–Bruce Peninsula   Ontario

Unemployment rate by economic region, 2021–2025Annual unemployment rate from the Labour Force Survey for the Kitchener-Waterloo-Barrie, Toronto and Stratford-Bruce Peninsula economic regions and Ontario0%2.4%4.8%7.2%9.6%20212022202320242025Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie 2021: 7.1%Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie 2022: 5.2%Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie 2023: 5.4%Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie 2024: 6.4%Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie 2025: 7%Kitchener–Waterloo–BarrieToronto 2021: 9.1%Toronto 2022: 6.3%Toronto 2023: 6.2%Toronto 2024: 7.9%Toronto 2025: 8.7%TorontoStratford–Bruce Peninsula 2021: 4.5%Stratford–Bruce Peninsula 2022: 3.8%Stratford–Bruce Peninsula 2023: 4.7%Stratford–Bruce Peninsula 2024: 3.7%Stratford–Bruce Peninsula 2025: 4.6%Stratford–Bruce PeninsulaOntario 2021: 8.1%Ontario 2022: 5.6%Ontario 2023: 5.6%Ontario 2024: 7%Ontario 2025: 7.7%Ontario
Unemployment rate (%), Statistics Canada table 14-10-0464-01
Economic region20212022202320242025
Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie (includes Dufferin, Wellington, Simcoe)7.15.25.46.47.0
Toronto (includes Peel and Halton: Caledon, Brampton, Halton Hills)9.16.36.27.98.7
Stratford–Bruce Peninsula (includes Grey: Grey Highlands, Southgate)4.53.84.73.74.6
Ontario8.15.65.67.07.7

Labour Force Survey annual averages. Economic regions are much larger than Dufferin; there is no LFS estimate for Dufferin alone. Participation and employment rates are in the same table but were not captured for this page (not found here). Source: Table 14-10-0464-01, released 2026-01-09, checked 2026-10-21.

Wages by major occupation group

Hourly wages for the ER3540 Kitchener–Waterloo–Barrie economic region, which includes Dufferin. For single occupations, see wages on the data hub.

Middle of published median hourly wages, by NOC broad category (ER3540)

Dufferin municipality   Neighbour

Middle of published median hourly wages, by NOC broad category (ER3540)Median of Job Bank occupation median hourly wages, grouped by NOC 2021 broad category, Kitchener-Waterloo-Barrie economic regionLegislative and senior managementLegislative and senior management: $53.53$53.53Education, law and social, commu…Education, law and social, commu…: $43.22$43.22Natural and applied sciencesNatural and applied sciences: $42.32$42.32HealthHealth: $40.84$40.84Trades, transport and equipment …Trades, transport and equipment …: $34.00$34.00Art, culture, recreation and sportArt, culture, recreation and sport: $33.37$33.37Business, finance and administra…Business, finance and administra…: $31.80$31.80Manufacturing and utilitiesManufacturing and utilities: $25.00$25.00Natural resources, agriculture a…Natural resources, agriculture a…: $24.38$24.38Sales and serviceSales and service: $20.50$20.50
Job Bank hourly median wages, ER3540, grouped by NOC broad category
NOCBroad occupational categoryOccupations with a regional wageMiddle of mediansLowest medianHighest median
0Legislative and senior management3$53.53$50.18 Senior managers - construction, transportation, production and utilities$96.15 Senior managers - financial, communications and other business services
1Business, finance and administration58$31.80$20.67 Receptionists$62.50 Human resources managers
2Natural and applied sciences59$42.32$25.48 Electronic service technicians (household and business equipment)$69.49 Engineering managers
3Health32$40.84$20.60 Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians$61.54 Nurse practitioners
4Education, law and social, community and government services48$43.22$17.94 Student monitors, crossing guards and related occupations$69.16 Commissioned police officers and related occupations in public protection services
5Art, culture, recreation and sport25$33.37$18.50 Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness$48.43 Library, archive, museum and art gallery managers
6Sales and service49$20.50$17.60 Bakers$60.10 Corporate sales managers
7Trades, transport and equipment operators82$34.00$19.50 Automotive and heavy truck and equipment parts installers and servicers$73.95 Air traffic controllers and related occupations
8Natural resources, agriculture and related production12$24.38$18.00 Harvesting labourers$62.98 Managers in natural resources production and fishing
9Manufacturing and utilities52$25.00$19.18 Industrial sewing machine operators$62.08 Utilities managers

Job Bank publishes wages per 5-digit occupation (NOC 2021), not per major group. Here each occupation with an hourly regional median is grouped by its NOC broad category (first digit). 'Middle of medians' is the median of those published occupation medians, a summary we computed, not an official group wage. Occupations shown only at an annual rate are left out. Source: ESDC Job Bank wage data (open data, revised 2025-11-19), checked 2026-10-21.

Commuting, 2021 Census

Employed residents aged 15+ with a usual place of work. For Dufferin's towns, "outside own census division" means working outside Dufferin County. Dufferin County Economic Development 2025-2030 Strategy and Action Plan, quoted in WPB Housing Our Workforce 2026: "51.4% of Dufferin's labour force with a regular place of work commutes out of the County for work."

Commute outside own census division (county or region)

Dufferin municipality   Neighbour

Commute outside own census division (county or region)Share of commuters working in a different census division or provinceMulmurMulmur: 66.7%66.7%SouthgateSouthgate: 66.5%66.5%ErinErin: 66.1%66.1%Grand ValleyGrand Valley: 59.2%59.2%East GarafraxaEast Garafraxa: 55.6%55.6%ShelburneShelburne: 51.7%51.7%MonoMono: 50.6%50.6%OrangevilleOrangeville: 50.1%50.1%AmaranthAmaranth: 49.8%49.8%Halton HillsHalton Hills: 47.7%47.7%Adjala-TosorontioAdjala-Tosorontio: 46.0%46.0%New TecumsethNew Tecumseth: 45.7%45.7%Grey HighlandsGrey Highlands: 37.2%37.2%MelancthonMelancthon: 36.5%36.5%CaledonCaledon: 36.3%36.3%BramptonBrampton: 29.5%29.5%Wellington NorthWellington North: 25.9%25.9%Centre WellingtonCentre Wellington: 25.2%25.2%ClearviewClearview: 14.5%14.5%Ontario 24.0%
Commutes of 60 minutes or more

Dufferin municipality   Neighbour

Commutes of 60 minutes or moreShare of commuters whose one-way commute is 60 minutes or longerMulmurMulmur: 30.5%30.5%ShelburneShelburne: 28.0%28.0%Grand ValleyGrand Valley: 25.8%25.8%AmaranthAmaranth: 25.3%25.3%New TecumsethNew Tecumseth: 21.2%21.2%SouthgateSouthgate: 20.7%20.7%Adjala-TosorontioAdjala-Tosorontio: 20.1%20.1%MelancthonMelancthon: 19.7%19.7%East GarafraxaEast Garafraxa: 18.1%18.1%MonoMono: 17.7%17.7%Grey HighlandsGrey Highlands: 15.4%15.4%OrangevilleOrangeville: 15.3%15.3%ErinErin: 14.3%14.3%ClearviewClearview: 13.0%13.0%Wellington NorthWellington North: 12.0%12.0%CaledonCaledon: 10.9%10.9%BramptonBrampton: 10.8%10.8%Centre WellingtonCentre Wellington: 9.4%9.4%Halton HillsHalton Hills: 9.3%9.3%Ontario 9.1%
Worked at home, May 2021

Dufferin municipality   Neighbour

Worked at home, May 2021Share of the employed labour force who worked at homeHalton HillsHalton Hills: 29.5%29.5%MonoMono: 29.2%29.2%East GarafraxaEast Garafraxa: 29.2%29.2%ErinErin: 28.3%28.3%CaledonCaledon: 27.9%27.9%Grey HighlandsGrey Highlands: 27.7%27.7%MulmurMulmur: 24.5%24.5%Centre WellingtonCentre Wellington: 24.3%24.3%SouthgateSouthgate: 24.1%24.1%BramptonBrampton: 22.3%22.3%AmaranthAmaranth: 22.2%22.2%Grand ValleyGrand Valley: 22.0%22.0%New TecumsethNew Tecumseth: 21.0%21.0%MelancthonMelancthon: 20.9%20.9%Adjala-TosorontioAdjala-Tosorontio: 20.7%20.7%ClearviewClearview: 19.6%19.6%Wellington NorthWellington North: 19.3%19.3%OrangevilleOrangeville: 19.0%19.0%ShelburneShelburne: 14.2%14.2%Ontario 29.7%
Place of work, commuting destination, main mode and duration, 2021 Census
MunicipalityWorked at homeNo fixed addressUsual placeSame municipalityLeave own CDCar, truck, vanTransitWalkBike<15 min15–2930–4445–5960+ minSource
Orangeville2,8401,87010,22043.7%50.1%91.1%1.6%5.2%0.4%36.2%11.6%19.5%17.5%15.3% [source]
Shelburne6105953,10027.6%51.7%94.7%0.5%3.7%0.0%24.3%21.5%11.8%14.2%28.0% [source]
Grand Valley4553551,25014.4%59.2%94.4%0.6%2.5%0.0%11.8%30.1%15.5%16.1%25.8% [source]
Mono1,3606602,61018.0%50.6%93.1%0.9%3.5%0.5%28.3%17.0%19.7%17.3%17.7% [source]
Mulmur4452851,08013.0%66.7%95.6%0.0%2.6%0.0%11.0%21.7%22.8%14.3%30.5% [source]
Melancthon33527099523.0%36.5%93.3%0.0%5.1%0.0%28.3%20.1%20.9%10.6%19.7% [source]
Amaranth5053651,39511.8%49.8%96.6%0.0%2.3%0.0%21.6%25.0%14.8%13.4%25.3% [source]
East Garafraxa44518589012.9%55.6%93.5%0.9%4.2%0.0%22.8%20.9%20.0%18.6%18.1% [source]
Caledon10,7005,73021,78029.2%36.3%95.2%1.2%1.7%0.1%17.6%25.3%31.8%14.3%10.9% [source]
Brampton68,73548,970189,04540.8%29.5%85.9%10.3%1.4%0.1%14.4%36.9%28.3%9.6%10.8% [source]
Halton Hills9,6253,87519,00540.8%47.7%92.9%1.4%3.4%0.3%27.3%24.7%26.2%12.5%9.3% [source]
Erin1,8258703,71523.7%66.1%93.8%0.9%2.9%0.0%19.3%20.3%25.2%21.2%14.3% [source]
Centre Wellington3,7151,7459,75044.4%25.2%93.8%0.3%3.7%0.6%35.5%28.3%20.1%6.6%9.4% [source]
Wellington North1,1257303,95552.1%25.9%90.6%0.2%6.8%1.3%40.0%23.7%14.7%9.7%12.0% [source]
New Tecumseth4,4103,64512,96043.7%45.7%93.9%0.5%3.6%0.4%27.5%17.1%18.7%15.5%21.2% [source]
Adjala-Tosorontio1,1708953,58011.0%46.0%97.3%0.2%1.1%0.0%17.4%28.6%19.1%14.7%20.1% [source]
Clearview1,4551,2754,69029.0%14.5%94.6%0.0%3.8%0.3%29.8%29.3%20.3%7.7%13.0% [source]
Grey Highlands1,3257902,65037.9%37.2%89.8%0.3%7.1%0.3%25.4%26.6%24.4%8.3%15.4% [source]
Southgate9606202,40020.2%66.5%91.9%0.3%4.0%1.2%25.4%26.9%18.7%8.1%20.7% [source]
Dufferin County (CD 3522)6,9954,58021,545n/a51.4%92.9%1.0%4.2%0.2%28.8%17.0%18.2%16.2%19.8% [source]
Ontario1,929,760765,1803,768,210n/a24.0%83.6%8.6%4.6%0.8%28.3%33.7%20.6%8.3%9.1% [source]

Top destinations: not found. Top work destinations by municipality come from Statistics Canada table 98-10-0459-01 (commuting flows between census subdivisions). That table could not be downloaded from our build server; it is linked here for direct use. Table 98-10-0459-01 (by municipality) · Table 98-10-0466-01 (by county). 25% sample data. Census day was in May 2021, during COVID-19 restrictions, so unemployment and work-at-home shares are unusually high. 'Leave own census division' = commute to a different census division or province; for the eight Dufferin towns that means working outside Dufferin County.

Workforce Planning Board reports

The Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin is the local labour market planning board for Dufferin.

Download: CSV · JSON (census, LFS, wages and reports with source URL and date checked per row).