The unemployment rate for the region decreased in June, but the Four County Labour Market Planning Board said the latest numbers show a concern for the health care sector.
In June, the unemployment rate in the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula Economic Region decreased by 0.3 percentage points to 5.6 per cent. That is the second lowest unemployment for a region in Ontario.
"Although we are not the lowest rate this month, the decreases we are seeing are very concerning specifically in health care as this is not an isolated change and will affect our regions services at this rate" said Dana Skirten, CEO for the Four County Labour Market Planning Board. “For the past four months we have seen losses in health care and social assistance that are alarming. In February employment sat at 27,900 to what we see now in June at 17,200."
The health care and social assistance sector experienced an 11.8 per cent decline in June.
Statistics Canada’s monthly Labour Force Survey provides estimates of employment and unemployment, based on a sampling of households in communities.
Overall, total employment in the region remained the same, at an estimated 168,200, with the total population participating in the job market declining last month.
Losses in part-time employment were offset by gains in full-time employment, and hirings in the goods producing sector countered layoffs in the service sector.
