Hamilton, Niagara Region jobless rates drop in January: Statistics Canada

Hamilton’s unemployment rate declined again for the seventh straight month in January, moving slightly from 5.8 to 5.5 per cent.

Statistics Canada’s (StatCan) latest job data shows a drop in the city despite a month dominated by COVID-19-related restrictions due to the Omicron wave.

The number is much lower than the 7.1 per cent reported a year ago.

According to Statistics Canada, just under 2,000 jobs were created in the Hamilton area month over month, while 12,700 jobs have been created in the city year over year.

The number of people actively looking for work who claimed unemployment insurance dropped by about 1,300 in January.

The participation rate, which measures the proportion of the working-age population that is working or looking for work, was 65.6 per cent for Hamilton last month.

Niagara’s jobless rate also dropped slightly last month from 7.9 to 7.8 per cent, as approximately 3,800 jobs were created.

About 23,000 jobs have been added to Niagara Region in the past 12 months. Last January, the region had reported a rate of 7.1 per cent.

The participation rate was up slightly to 60.9 per cent in January while the number of people claiming unemployment insurance held steady.

Nationally, the economy lost 200,000 jobs in January and the unemployment rate rose to 6.5 per cent.

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