Walkerton (June 10, 2016) – In May the unemployment rate for the province edged lower from 7% to 6.9%. The Stratford-Bruce Peninsula economic region had a bigger drop from 6.2% to 5.6%, representing a 0.6% decrease.

Part-time employment saw a decrease of 2500 jobs to 29,700, full-time employment gained 1,100 jobs, from 107,900 to 109,000. However, the employment number dropped from 140,000 to 138,700.

The Goods-producing sector in our region saw a second monthly loss (-300) in May 2016, with employment losses in all industries except for Construction which saw a gain of 700 and Manufacturing which saw a gain of 500 jobs. These gains were offset with the biggest loss in Agriculture (-900) representing a second monthly loss for the sector.

The Services-producing sector experienced a loss of -1000 jobs in May. Accommodation and food services and Wholesale trade saw the highest gain in employment with 800 each. Healthcare and social services saw the largest loss of (-900). Professional, scientific and technical services and Other services (except public administration) each experienced loss of (-600).

Recent economic announcements in the local region include the announcement of a new business in St. Marys that plans to bring in 150 new jobs with an initial hiring of 25 workers.

We continue to monitor the ever-changing dynamics of the local labour market and share information about skills and training needs for the region.

Following labour market events is key to helping job seekers understand where the opportunities (short, medium, long term) might be in the region’s local communities.

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