Crews work to build a fire break at Ellice Swamp. Photo and video by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.Crews work to build a fire break at Ellice Swamp. Photo and video by the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority.
Windsor

Jobless Rate Down, Labour Participation Rate Up In Windsor

Windsor's job market saw improvements in January from a year ago on two fronts, the unemployment rate and the labour participation rate.

Statistics Canada says the jobless rate in Windsor last month was 4.6%, down from 6% in December, and 5.4% in January 2017.

The agency adjusted the rate in December after the results of the Labour Force Survey was released. Initially, unemployment was calculated at 5.5%

The labour participation rate, or the percentage of the population that is employed as opposed to employed or looking for work, improved by 0.5% over the past year to 60.3%. It was 59.8% a year ago.

In London, the unemployment rate increased to 6.5%, up 0.3% from December.

Nationally, the economy shed 88,000 jobs. Although there were gains in full-time work, the number of part-time jobs fell by 137,000 across the country. That was enough to hike the unemployment rate to 5.9%.

Adjusted to the same criteria used in the U.S., the national rate was 4.9% compared to 4.1% across the border. The labour participation rate was 65.5% compared to 62.7% in the U.S.

There was little change in Ontario's jobless rate. It remained at 5.5% in January, despite the loss of 51,000 jobs, mostly part-time positions.

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