HURON-PERTH – In January, the unemployment rate for the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula Economic Region increased by 1.6 percentage points to 4.6 per cent. At the same time, the provincial unemployment rate increased by 0.3 percentage points to 6.1 per cent, both unadjusted for seasonality.
Overall net employment in the region decreased by 5,600, with full-time losses (-5,400) and part-time losses (-200). This full-time loss was the largest since the pandemic’s onset.
The number of goods-producing sector employees decreased by net 600. The main driving force came from losses in utilities (-1,000) and manufacturing (-700).
Employment in the services-producing sector also decreased by net 5,100. The most losses came from wholesale and retail trade (-1,900) and health care and social assistance (-1,200). Though professional, scientific and technical services experienced increases in employment (+1,500), it could not offset the losses, which resulted in net losses of 5,100.
“As we see our labour force continue to shrink it is imperative that we build strong attraction and retention strategies,” said Gemma Mendez-Smith, executive director of the Four County Labour Market Planning Board. “The size of the labour force is currently at its lowest since the onset of the pandemic.”
