The unemployment rate in the area that includes Bruce, Grey, Huron and Perth counties fell in May, as some 2,000 new full-time jobs were created.
The Four County Labour Market Planning Board says the jobless rate for the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula region checked in at 3.6 per cent last month — the lowest in the province — down from 3.9 per cent in April.
The regional economy added 2,000 full-time positions, partially offset by the loss of 600 part-time jobs.
The educational services (+1,100), manufacturing (+1,000) and utilities (+600) sectors led the job gains in May. The greatest employment losses in the region came in other services except public administration (-1,200).
Four County Labour Market Planning Board Executive Director Dana Soucie says many job vacanies in the region continue to be left unfilled as employers face barriers attracting and retaining talent. Currently, there are more than 2,800 postings on the regional job board run by the planning board: www.connect2jobs.ca.
“Understanding how a chronically low unemployment rate affects this region will be a critical step to further workforce planning,” Soucie says in a statement.
Ontario’s unemployment rate for the month of May, unadjusted for seasonality, held steady at 5.6 per cent.
Nationally, 40,000 new positions were created last month as the jobless rate fell to 5.1 per cent – the lowest reading recorded since data collection started in 1976.
Statistics Canada says the overall labour force participation rate, or the proportion of the population aged 15 and older that is either employed or unemployed, held steady at 65.3 per cent in May.