For the first time in a decade, the unemployment rate in Chatham-Kent has dropped to 6.1% in October.
While that's only a slight dip from 6.2% in September, the most recent statistics released by Chatham-Kent Economic Development Services show a 2.9% decline for the first ten months of 2016. The figure is also a full 1.6% lower than October of last year.
"I attribute that to the companies throughout Chatham-Kent that continue to invest in our community, continue to invest in innovation, and they're extremely aggressive," says Acting Director of Economic Development Services Stuart McFadden. "They're hiring and that's positive news for Chatham-Kent."
McFadden says it's not clear what sectors the positions came from or how full-time and part-time job numbers are increasing, because the statistics aren't broken down into very much detail. Regardless, he says they indicate the municipality is headed in the right direction because the number of people needing employment assistance is also down.
"We've seen a jobless rate that's going down, the amount of people working going up, and I understand that our people from Ontario Works are saying their caseload is the lowest it's been in a very long time, so that's all positive news," he says.
According to McFadden, finding workers for positions with certain qualifications is a challenge local employers still face. But the municipality plans to drive the jobless rate even lower by making Chatham-Kent a great place to do business.
"Continue to support the companies that are here. Try to make it easier for them to invest. How can we help them continue to grow? How can we help them find that piece of equipment that they need to be competitive?" says McFadden. "[That], in turn, is going to create employment. So it's to continue to stay focused on the companies that are here."