Canadian steel mill jobs have fallen by more than 50% since 2003
Statistics Canada data show steel mill employment has dropped to 14,245 workers, before the latest Stelco job cuts
Article content
See more Toronto Sun on Google — save as a Preferred Source
OTTAWA — Steel mills in Canada employ roughly half the number of workers they did two decades ago, and the latest numbers don’t include cuts stemming from recent escalations in the U.S.-led trade war.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Canadian steel mill jobs have fallen by more than 50% since 2003 Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
In July, 14,245 Canadians were employed in the industry, according to data released by Statistics Canada, compared with an industry high of 28,859 in January 2003.
That represents a loss of more than 14,600 jobs, or just over 50%, over the past 23 years.
The latest figures were released Sept. 24, weeks before Stelco idled its cold-rolled and coated steel lines in Hamilton.
Stelco cutting 500 jobs
Blaming economic strain caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war, Stelco owner Cleveland-Cliffs announced plans to lay off 500 workers at its plants in Hamilton and Nanticoke — a decision being challenged by the federal government.
When Cleveland-Cliffs acquired Stelco in 2024 for $3.4 billion, Industry Minister Melanie Joly said agreements were made under the Investment Canada Act to prevent such deep job cuts.
But Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves maintains he is well within his rights to trim his staff and says he’s prepared to defend his position in court.
Steel mill employment on the decline
Current trade tensions aside, employment prospects for Canada’s steelworkers have been dwindling.
Employment at Canadian steel mills has continued to decline since 2024, with July’s job count representing a drop of 506 positions, or 3.4%, from a year earlier.
Compared with July 2024, employment was down 7%.
Employment at steel mills fell to 13,709 across Canada last December, the lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic drove the industry’s workforce down to 13,653, the lowest figure on record.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.