London-St. Thomas jobless rate holds steady at 6.9%

The job market in London started 2017 the same way it ended 2016, at 6.9 per cent.

Statistics Canada says the London-St. Thomas region loss 600 jobs in January. The unemployment rate held steady as the labour market decreased by 900 while fewer people claimed unemployment.

Stats Canada says Canada’s labour market unexpectedly added 48,300 jobs last month, thanks to surges in part-time and private-sector work.

The employment survey for January shows an increase of 32,400 part-time positions and a gain of 15,800 jobs in the more-desirable category of full-time work.

The unemployment rate fell to 6.8 per cent from 6.9 per cent in December.

The report also found that the number of private-sector jobs rose 32,400 between December and January, compared with an increase of 7,700 public-sector positions.

A consensus of economists had projected the job numbers to stay unchanged last month and for the unemployment rate to hold at 6.9 per cent, according to Thomson Reuters. The country’s job market has seen gains in five out of the last six monthly reports.

The London-St. Thomas jobless rate is half a percentage point higher than the Ontario rate which held steady at 6.4 per cent. Employment in Ontario rose by 29,000 in January.

Adjusted to the concepts used in the United States, the unemployment rate in Canada was 5.7 per cent in January, compared with 4.8 per cent in the United States.