Walkerton, ON (June 5, 2020) – In May, the unemployment rate for the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula Economic Region increased by 1.2 percentage points to 9.3%. At the same time, the provincial unemployment rate increased by 2.8 percentage points to 11%.

Overall employment in the region decreased by 4,300, with both full-time (-1,700) and part-time (-2,600) losses. The number of Goods-producing sector employees decreased by 2,000 in the Stratford Bruce Peninsula Economic Region. The greatest losses were in Construction (-1,900). Employment in the Services-producing sector decreased by 2,100. The greatest losses were in Professional, scientific and technical services (-1,300), and Transportation and warehousing (-800). “It’s hard to predict what our economy will look like post-COVID-19, however we continue to monitor what employers and workers are reporting so we can respond to community needs,” says Gemma Mendez-Smith, Executive Director of the Four County Labour Market Planning Board. As we continue to collect responses for our COVID-19 Worker Impact Survey please visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FCLMPBCOVID19 to provide your feedback.