For a second straight month, there has been a slight jump in the area jobless rate.
Figures from Statistics Canada show the London-St. Thomas unemployment rate rose to 6.7% last month, up from 6.5% in January. The increase comes as the number of people employed in the region fell by 1,900 in February. Another 2,400 people entered the labour force, while 500 claimed unemployment.
Nationally, 15,400 net new jobs were added to the economy. That helped to edge down the unemployment rate to 5.8% in February from 5.9% the previous month.
The provincial jobless rate went unchanged from the previous month, sitting at 5.5%. The steady number came as employment went by up 15,700 jobs. The employment increase was led by monthly gains in the transportation and warehousing and educational services sectors, according to the province.