London-St. Thomas jobless rate falls to 9.1% in July from 10% in June

The unemployment rate for London-St. Thomas ticked down in July for the first time in four months.

According to Statistics Canada data released Friday, the local jobless rate was 9.1 per cent in July, down from an 11-month high of 10.0 per cent in June.

Roughly 700 jobs were added in July while the labour force decreased by 2,500 and the number of people who claimed unemployment insurance because they are actively looking for work fell by 3,200.

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The participation rate, which measures the proportion of the working-age population that is working or looking for work, fell to 65.9 per cent in July from 66.4 per cent in June.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate for London-St. Thomas peaked at 12.6 per cent in June 2020, then fell steadily to 6.9 per cent in February 2021, before climbing again to 10.0 per cent in June.

However, from March to June, Statistics Canada data showed that the increase in the jobless rate was due to a rise in the number of people looking for work that outpaced the number of jobs added.

Nationally, the unemployment rate was 7.5 per cent for the month compared with 7.8 per cent in June.

— with a file from The Canadian Press.