After four straight months of increases, the London area jobless rate fell last month.
According to figures released Friday by Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate in the London Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) was 6.3 per cent in September, down from 6.6 per cent in August.
The London CMA includes St. Thomas, Strathroy, and other surrounding communities.
The jobless rate’s drop was aided by the creation of 2,300 new jobs in the area. Statistics Canada also reported an increase in the labour participation rate, which measures the precentage of working-age people who are either working or actively looking for a job. The local labour participation rate was 66 per cent in September.
Across Ontario, fewer people worked last month, but fewer people were looking for a job. The province shed 32,000 net positions, but the provincial jobless rate didn’t change much, inching up only 0.1 percentage point to 5.8 per cent.
The national economy added 21,000 net positions. Adding that to fewer people on the hunt for employment, the unemployment rate was pushed down 0.2 percentage points to 5.2 per cent.
Gains in education services, healthcare, and social services were offset by losses in other sectors.
Wages continued to rise in September for the fourth consecutive month. Workers were paid 5.2 per cent more than they were a year ago, an average hourly gain of $1.57 to $31.67.
This month’s report also looked into retirement. The national labour force shrunk over the summer as the population aged, and companies continued to cope with record-high vacancies. Almost one million Canadians aged 55 to 64 said they were retired.
**with files from Adelle Loiselle
