The unemployment rate for the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula Economic Region went up slightly in May.
The latest figures released by the Four County Labour Market Planning Board (FCLMPB) show a 0.7 percentage point increase in the unemployment rate.
That increase was the largest in the province, putting the region at 5.9 per cent unemployment. However, that is still the lowest unemployment rate for any region in Ontario.
The provincial unemployment rate for May decreased by 0.1 percentage points, landing at 7.4 per cent, with both rates unadjusted for seasonality.
In May, the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula Economic Region’s overall population aged 15+ increased by 300, whereas the labour force size increased by 1,100 people. The number of people not in the labour force in the region decreased by 800. This in turn increased the region’s participation rate by 0.3 percentage points to 60.4 per cent.
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 currently exceeds 1,500.
"This month’s statistics provided us with some very positive signs for our region’s workforce," said Dana Soucie, Chief Executive Officer for the Four County Labour Market Planning Board. "Increases in full-time employment, an increase in labour force size, a decrease in those not in the labour force and gains in some sectors we have been previously seeing declines show promising changes."
