Jobless rate in London region unchanged – London News Today

The London-area recorded no change in the unemployment rate in April.

Figures released Friday by Statistics Canada show the jobless rate for the London Census Metropolitan Area held steady at 6.4 per cent last month, the same as the month prior. This comes after three straight months of increases in January, February, and March. The current rate is also two-percentage points higher than it was a year ago.

The labour force, which is the number of people 15 and older who are either working or looking for work, saw a slight increase in April. The labour participation rate, which measures the percentage of the population that is included in the labour force, was also up a notch to 66.2 per cent from 66 per cent in March.

The London CMA includes St. Thomas, Strathroy, and other surrounding communities.

Nationally, the unemployment rate was unchanged from March, holding at 6.1 per cent. The economy added a net 90,400 jobs last month, Statistics Canada said.

In Ontario, the rate saw little change at 6.2 per cent last month. The province added 25,000 jobs in April, including 5,800 jobs in the manufacturing sector. It is the fourth straight month additional jobs were added to the provincial economy.