Net employment in the region that includes Bruce and Grey counties increased slightly in February, but the overall unemployment rate was steady as more full-time jobs were lost.
The Four County Labour Market Planning Board says the jobless rate for the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula region was unchanged at 4.6 per cent last month.
The regional economy shaved 500 full-time positions, which was offset by 1,200 new part-time jobs. The full-time job losses add to a recent trend in the area. According to the planning board, more than 9,500 full-time positions were lost in the regional economy in December and January.
The wholesale and retail trade (+1,600), construction (+900) and agriculture (+700) sectors led the job gains in February. The greatest employment losses in the region came in the healthcare and social assistance (-2,000) and manufacturing (-1,200) industries.
Ontario’s unemployment rate for the month of February, unadjusted for seasonality, was unchanged at 6.1 per cent.
Nationally, the jobless rate fell to 5.5 per cent – down from 6.5 per cent a month prior – as the national economy created 337,000 new positions. However, Statistics Canada says the unemployment rate for the country would have been 7.4 per cent if calculations included those who wanted a job but did not look for one.
