Welcome to Durham Workforce Authority

Help Shape the Future of our Workforce

The Durham Workforce Authority is collecting valuable insights from local employers through the Durham Region Employer Survey. Your feedback will help guide workforce planning, support recruitment and retention efforts, and strengthen skills training in our region.
If you’re an employer in Durham Region, please take a few minutes to share your experience and priorities.

By completing the 2025 Employer Survey, you help build a clearer picture of Durham Region’s workforce needs. The insights collected guide training programs, inform hiring supports, and strengthen strategies that make it easier for businesses to find and keep the talent they need. Your input directly shapes the programs and policies that support local employers like you.

• Recruitment & Retention – Highlight hiring challenges to guide local solutions

• Skills Training – Ensure workforce programs reflect real business needs

• Employer Supports – Strengthen resources that help your business thrive

• Community Impact – Inform strategies used by economic developers, chambers of commerce, and training providers

It only takes a few minutes, but your input creates lasting results.

Create your own user feedback survey

Happening this Month at the Lakeview Hub

The Lakeview is hosting its annual Free Warm Clothing Giveaway on Wednesday, November 26, from 10 AM to 2 PM at the Lakeview Hub.

They will have a wide selection of coats, boots, hats, gloves, and more, all available free of charge to anyone who needs them. No registration required, just come by and find what you need to stay warm this winter.

Spread the word to friends, family, and neighbours, everyone is welcome.

In advance of this event, they will be collecting donations of warm clothing.  You can bring your gently used coats, gloves, hats, and boots to the Lakeview Hub on any Wednesday between 10 AM and 3 PM.  If you can’t drop by, email info@LakeviewHub.ca, and they will arrange for one of their volunteers to pick up your donation.

Lakeview Hub is Now Open!

The Lakeview Hub is dedicated to empowering the community by providing accessible support services that address employment, personal development, and emotional well-being. Knowing that real support means more than just helping with job searches—it’s about helping people thrive in every part of their lives.

Their vision is simple: a Lakeview where everyone has access to the support, services and opportunities they need to grow. At Lakeview Hub, you’ll find a warm, welcoming space where people connect, find encouragement, and feel respected and valued.  We’re building a place where everyone feels seen, heard, and truly cared for.

Visit the Lakeview Hub website to learn more!

Join the Durham Workforce Authority (DWA) as our team shares data and findings with the community, fostering a shared understanding of the labour market information held by the DWA, and informing, engaging, and empowering community members to gain a deeper understanding and comfort with local labour market information.  This event is free to attend and open to everyone in Durham.

Click Here to Secure Your Spot

Labour Market Plan

The Durham Workforce Authority develops an annual labour market planning document that provides new and emerging actions, including a three-year outlook. This just-in-time labour market information addresses both immediate labour market issues and provides data-driven recommendations to address emerging workforce challenges in the Durham Region.

Annual Local Labour Market Plans can be accessed here.

Durham Employer Survey

The DWA surveys the supply and demand for labour in our Region in alternating years.  A workforce survey was completed in 2024, and an employer survey will be conducted in 2025.  This survey is designed to gather insights from Durham Region employers to identify general and industry-specific skill gaps. It is a key aspect of understanding the dynamic workforce landscape, and the results will inform future workforce development strategies, educational programs, and employment initiatives based on the identified needs and aspirations of residents in Durham Region.

Cluster Mapping Report

This report will map the economic clusters of employers via their National Industry Association Code (NAIC) and the in-demand occupations via their National Occupation Code (NOC) to create a framework map to identify what is missing in the cluster, where there are weaknesses and how to engage all partners to support employers in creating thriving clusters in Durham Region.

Small Manufacturing Report

This report explores the role of small-scale manufacturing in fostering economic development and labour market attachment. Small manufacturers, defined by their modest space requirements and workforce typically under fifty employees, have the flexibility to operate in non-traditional manufacturing spaces, such as storefronts. By leveraging innovation, local resources, and niche markets, small manufacturing presents a significant opportunity to enhance economic resilience, support workforce participation, and revitalize communities.

NEW! Quarterly and Annual Labour Market Insights Reports

Our Jobs First Durham system allows the Durham Workforce Authority to extract labour market information directly from jobs posted in the Durham Region.  It scans more than 50 of the top e

mployment websites to extract wage, skill, location and other relevant data, providing reliable and local information on what employers and job seekers need.

Our interactive Labour Market Insights tool enables everyone in our community to understand what’s happening in Durham’s workforce.  This real-time information supports the data-driven decision-making that empowers community stakeholders to continue developing a robust and sustainable local workforce.

To further support the community’s efforts at making data-driven decisions, the DWA has developed a new printer-friendly version of the report that will be released quarterly and annually.  We’ve included some highlights of the most recent month and a link to the most recent quarterly report below.

Check out the most recent quarterly and annual Durham Region Labour Market Insights Reports

Labour Market Information (LMI) Video Series

Here at DWA, we have created a video series all about LMI to inform the community about the importance of LMI and to provide Employment Ontario Service Providers, Economic Development and Chambers of Commerce, Community Partners, Employers, and Job Seekers with access to timely LMI data and analysis.

The 11 videos include, but are not limited to: the eight indicators, the monthly labour force survey data for Oshawa CMA, local custom data that are legacy pieces from the LEPC, and other critical pieces of labour market information in an accessible format.

Click any of the titles below to watch the video, or click here to view the whole playlist!

1. Definition of CMA

2. Key Components of Labour Fore Survey

3. Labour Market Information

4. DWA 101

5. Canadian Business Count

6. Durham Region Key Sectors Overview

7. Durham Region Key Sectors and Employment Levels (1/2)

8. Durham Region Key Sectors and Employment Levels (2/2)

9. Basic Labour Market Indicators Overview

10. Basic Labour Market Indicators (1/2)

11. Basic Labour Market Indicators (2/2)