The latest jobless numbers from Chatham-Kent paint an intriguing picture.
The local unemployment rate rose slightly to 6.8% in February 2017, but local Economic Development officials say more jobs were, in fact, added to the local economy in the second month of the year.
The jobless rate rose 0.4% compared to January, but there were still 1,200 more people working in Chatham-Kent in February this year than in February of 2016.
That's according to Chatham-Kent's Acting Director of Economic Development Services, Stuart McFadden.
"The data is consistent with past months where we are showing an increase in employment versus last year," says McFadden in a media release. "More people are participating in the workforce and we know companies continue to hire, which is positive news for the community."
The national unemployment rate also currently sits at 6.8%.