Niagara Region unemployment rate edges up, still lower than national numbers

Niagara Region’s unemployment rate edged up slightly in April to 4.4 per cent, higher than the record low of four per cent in March.

However, it still remained below the national rate of five per cent, which has been the standard since December.

In terms of numbers, Niagara’s labour force dropped by 900 workers, falling to 220,900 from the 221,800 workers region-wide in March.

“While it may be too early to tell if the labour market is beginning to slacken, they have been holding steady for several months, indicating that the labour crisis may have levelled out,” said the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce.

Nationally, employment rose by 41,000 (+0.2 per cent) in April, all in part-time work.