The regional unemployment rate in the area that includes Bruce and Grey counties fell slightly in July, even as the number of jobs in the region declined.
The Four County Labour Market Planning Board says the unemployment rate for the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula region was 4.3 per cent in July, a slight drop of 0.2 percentage points.
The lower jobless rate comes as 1,700 new full-time positions were created, but more than 2,400 part-time jobs were lost in July. The region’s overall employment size declined by around 700.
The unemployment rate still declined a bit as the overall size of the labour force fell in July. About 1,400 people in the region stopped looking for work, dropping the overall size of the labour force to about 163,600 people.
A request to the Four County Labour Market planning board for an interview went unanswered by publication time.
The greatest job gains came in the information, culture and recreation (+1,500), other services (+1,000), finance, insurance, real estate and rentals (+600) and utilities (+300) sectors.
The region’s agriculture (-1,300) information, healthcare and social assistance (-1,300), educational services (-1,100) and construction (-600) industries posted the largest employment declines.
Ontario’s unemployment rate increased in July to 5.9 per cent. Nationally, it increased slightly for the third straight month to 5.5 per cent. About 6,400 jobs were lost across the country.