The unemployment rate for January in the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula Economic Region went up in January.
According to the Four County Labour Market Planning Board, the unemployment rate jumped by two percentage points to land at 5.8 per cent last month. Provincially, unemployment ticked up 0.3 percentage points to sit at 7.2 per cent, with both numbers unadjusted for seasonality.
For January, the region experienced a decrease of 2,400 people in overall employment, with approximately 5,400 full-time losses and 3,000 part-time gains.
The biggest losses were in the agriculture sector, with 2,500 job losses there due to seasonality. Goods-producing sector employment saw a loss of 2,200 jobs, followed by losses of 900 in manufacturing, and 100 in construction. Employment in utilities saw the biggest rise with a gain of 500.
"The unemployment rate increased significantly this month," said Dana Soucie, Executive Director for the Four County Labour Market Planning Board. "This aligns with the trends happening across Ontario. However, we will continue to monitor sectors where current economic challenges may be affecting them more than others."
Current job postings for the Bruce, Grey, Huron, Perth region have increased over time since the pandemic and can be found at www.connect2JOBS.ca. The current number of job postings is 1,212.
