After six straight months of decline, the London area unemployment rate went up in January.
Figures released Friday by Statistics Canada show the jobless rate in the London Census Metropolitan Area was 6.3 per cent last month, up from December’s 6.1 per cent. The federal agency had reported a jobless rate of 5.7 per cent in December when its monthly report came out in early January, but that figure was later adjusted to 6.1 per cent.
The London CMA includes St. Thomas, Strathroy, and other surrounding communities.
Roughly 200 jobs were lost in the area last month, according to Statistics Canada. There was a growth in the labour force of 200 and the number of people who receieved Employment Insurance rose by 400.
Nationally, the jobless rate climbed to 6.5 per cent from December’s 6 per cent as 200,000 jobs were lost. The hospitality industry was hardest hit as the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 led to tighter restrictions in some provinces, including Ontario. The province’s unemployment rate rose to 7.1 per cent in January.
