For the second consecutive month, the unemployment rate in London-St. Thomas has ticked lower, falling to 7.8 per cent in August, according to Statistics Canada data released Friday.
Roughly 1,900 jobs were added in August while the labour force decreased by 2,200 and the number of people who claimed unemployment insurance because they are actively looking for work fell by 4,200.
The participation rate, which measures the proportion of the working-age population that is working or looking for work, fell to 65.3 per cent in August from 65.9 per cent in July.
The unemployment rate for August was at its lowest level since March, which recorded a jobless rate of 7.0 per cent.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate for London-St. Thomas peaked at 12.6 per cent in June 2020, fell to a low of 6.9 per cent in February 2021, climbed back up to 10.0 per cent in June, and has been falling since to 9.1 per cent in July and now 7.8 per cent in August.
Nationally, the unemployment rate for August was 7.1 per cent, down from 7.5 per cent in July.
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