Unemployment falls, more people working in Burlington, Oakville, Milton

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Published October 29, 2021 at 3:06 pm

According to recently released data, the unemployment rate in Halton is approaching pre-pandemic levels.

The Labour Force Survey released by Statistics Canada for Q3 shows a consistent, downward trend in Halton Region’s unemployment rate from where it was in the first two quarters of 2021.

Halton’s unemployment rate in the third quarter was 5.6 per cent, lower than Toronto’s 9.7 per cent, Hamilton’s 7.8 per cent, Ontario’s 8.5 per cent and Canada’s 7.6 per cent.

Of the 295,000 people in Halton’s labour force, 279,100 are employed. By gender, about 6.2 per cent of males are unemployed and 4.9 per cent of females.

The highest unemployment rate is among youth aged 15-24, which is 10.3 per cent, compared to just 4.2 per cent for ages 24 to 65.

Halton also has an above average participation rate – those people aged 15 and over who are actively employed or looking for employment – at 68.2 per cent, a slight uptick from Q2’s 67.9 per cent. Nationally, the participation rate is 66.1 per cent.

The unemployment rate in Halton is down 2.5 percentage points from where it was last quarter. It is attributed by staff to the easing of public health restrictions as COVID-19 case counts decreased late in the third quarter.

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