The London area can now boast its lowest ever recorded jobless rate.
Figues released Friday by Statistics Canada show the unemployment rate for the London Census Metropolitan area, which includes St. Thomas, Strathroy, and other surrounding communties, was 4.4 per cent in April. That's is down from the 4.8 per cent figure reported in March, and the lowest local jobless rate on record.
According to Statistics Canada figures, the local labour force increased to 297,700 in April, up by 1,000 from March. The labour force refers to the number of people who are either working or actively looking for work.
The national economy gained 41,000 net jobs last month, most of them part-time positions, and not enough to change Canada’s unemployment rate. It hasn’t budged from 5 per cent since last December.
Wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, information, culture and recreation, and education services saw gains. However, the number of positions fell in business, building, and other support services.
Unemployment among women 24 and older didn’t change in April, but men aged 25 to 54 filled 18,000 positions, while another 16,000 jobs went to men 55 and older.
Ontario’s unemployment rate fell to its lowest since October 1989 as it added another 33,000 net jobs to the provincial economy. The jobless rate was 4.9 per cent.
The average Canadian hourly wage continued to climb, up 5.2 per cent or another $1.66 to $33.38 an hour from April 2022.