Another drop in the jobless rate

For the third straight month, the London area has seen a drop in the unemployment rate.

Figures released Friday by Statistics Canada show the jobless rate in the London Census Metropolitan Area, which includes St. Thomas, Strathroy, and other surrounding communities, fell to 7.3 per cent in September from 7.8 per cent in August.

The decrease came as approximately 1,200 new jobs were created last month.

The Labour Participation Rate, which measures the percentage of people who are of working age that are working or actively searching for a job, saw a slight decrease in September. It was 65.3 per cent in August and fell to 65.2 percent in September.

The mayor of London seemed pleased with the figures. In a Friday morning tweet, Ed Holder said the London economy’s streak of job growth was extended to 15 months in September.

“During that time, our economy has added 47,600 new jobs,” he tweeted. “Absolutely incredible!”

Nationally, the economy added 157,000 jobs last month. That brought the unemployment rate to 6.9 per cent, down from 7.1 per cent in August.

Roughly 73,600 jobs were created in Ontario in September. The jobless rate in the province was 7.3 per cent in September.

Read original story from London Ontario – BlackburnNews.com