File photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / svanhornFile photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / svanhorn
London

Jobless rate falls again

The London area finished off 2021 with a sixth straight month of improvement in the jobless rate.

Figures released Friday by Statistics Canada show the unemployment rate in the London Census Metropolitan Area fell to 5.7 per cent in December from 6.4 per cent in November. The London CMA includes St. Thomas, Strathroy, and other surrounding communities. The 5.7 per cent figure marks the lowest the local unemployment rate has been since March 2020.

The federal numbers agency said the number of people working in the area went up by approximately 3,000 to about 291,000. The labour force, which includes people who are working or actively looking for work, increased to roughly 310,000.

The national rate fell to 5.9 per cent, from six per cent in November, as there was a rise of 55,000 in the number of people working.

Ontario's jobless rate fell to an even six per cent in December, from November's 6.4 per cent. That figure was its lowest since February 2020, and over the past year, Ontario’s economy has added 413,000 jobs.

Hourly wages are up. On average, Canadians received another $0.80 an hour from a year ago.

Statistics Canada’s latest Labour Force Survey provides a snapshot of the economy between December 5 and December 11. It was taken in the weeks before COVID-19 cases involving the Omicron variant began to spike in Canada and new restrictions were introduced.

January’s survey is scheduled for January 9 to January 15. The agency will release it on February 4.

*with files from Adelle Loiselle

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