City's jobless rate increases to 8.6%

After declining slightly in February, the city's jobless rose last month to 8.6 per cent, according to Statistics Canada's monthly Labour Force Survey.

That's 0.3 per cent higher than the previous month, and more than two per cent higher than in March 2015, when the rate was 6.5 per cent.

However, more people actually had jobs in March, but the rate was higher because of an increase in the number of people looking for work.

About 80,200 people had jobs last month, out of a labour force of 87,600; that compares to 79,500 who were working in February, out of a workforce of 86,600.

In a news release Friday, Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas said the job numbers show the Wynne Liberals have failed to take action to create jobs as Sudbury families now face the highest unemployment rate in the province.

“Despite seeing the upward trend of unemployment in Sudbury, the Wynne Liberals sat on their hands as Sudbury mines closed and family-supporting jobs disappeared,” Gélinas said in the release.

“Instead of investing in job creation, the Wynne Liberals pressed ahead with its fire sale of Hydro One despite increasing hydro costs that will put more burden on families and businesses, and hamper job creation.”

Last month, Sudbury’s unemployment rate was the highest of any major city in Ontario, and the second highest in the country. Gélinas said in the release that Liberal inaction has cost Sudbury 4,000 jobs since March of last year.

“The Wynne government needs to act now on job-creating projects for the city like Highway 69, the development of the Ring of Fire, and other infrastructure,” Gélinas said. “This government has run out of excuses for doing nothing.”

In Ontario, employment was little changed, and the unemployment rate stayed at 6.8 per cent, the StatsCan release said. On a year-over-year basis, employment in the province increased by 86,000 or 1.2 per cent, the second highest rate of growth among the provinces. All of the gains were in full-time work.

Canada-wide, employment in manufacturing decreased by 32,000 in March, with losses in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia.

On a year-over-year basis, employment in the industry was little changed, as gains in Ontario and Nova Scotia were offset by losses in Alberta.
In March, employment in health care and social assistance increased by 25,000, bringing total gains to 77,000 on a year-over-year basis.

There were also more workers in accommodation and food services, which increased by 18,000. In the 12 months to March, however, the number of people employed in this industry was down 27,000, or 2.2 per cent.

There were 12,000 more people working in professional, scientific and technical services in March in Canada. Compared with the same month a year earlier, gains for the industry totalled 52,000 or 3.8 per cent, the fastest year-over-year growth rate of all industries.