Thousands of people in the GTA are now part of the struggling job market after a series of cuts in various sectors this week, including reports of a major layoff at a Bell call centre.

There are reports that as many as 500 people were laid off at a Bell call centre in Mississauga on Wednesday. The company hasn’t confirmed that figure, but said the jobs lost in the GTA will be added in centres in Vancouver and Montreal.

Sixty-eight security screeners at Pearson airport would be temporarily laid off while another would see their hours reduced, according to a Garda Inc. spokesman. The decision affects nearly 300 employees of the private contractor and will take effect Jan. 25.

Some of those workers could reportedly be recalled for part-time positions.

The company recently laid off 80 other workers.

There have been labour problems with Pearson Garda workers for some time. More than six dozen security workers were suspended in October for taking part in a work-to-rule campaign that caused major delays at the airport.

And on Wednesday, Toronto Hydro announced as many as 1,000 contract workers will be cut. The utility will lay off more than 300 members of its own staff after the Ontario Energy Board denied its request for a $5 rate hike to fund improvements to aging infrastructure.

Last week, Statistics Canada released its latest job numbers, which showed the nation's unemployment rate increased to 7.5 per cent in December. The hike came despite 17,500 new jobs the same month, but all were part-time and self-employed positions. More than 25,000 full-time jobs were lost in December.