The trend of a drop in unemployment in the month of October echoed all the way from the national level down to the Bay of Quinte.
According to Statistics Canada’s labour force report for the month of October the combined area of Quinte West, Belleville, Stirling-Rawdon and Tyendinaga-Deseronto saw unemployment fall by 0.2% from 7.0% to 6.8%.
That keeps pace with the Province of Ontario which saw the same rate fall by 0.3% to 7.0%.
Nationally the unemployment rate fell from 6.9% to 6.7% marking a similar drop.
Statistics Canada said the economy added 31,000 jobs in October, bringing the national unemployment rate to a pandemic-era low.
Gains were seen across a number of industries, including the hard hit retail sector, but offset by declines elsewhere, such as accommodation and food services.
The statistics agency also notes a decline in self-employment, but suggests some of those moved to more permanent and in-demand jobs like in the professional, scientific and technical services sector.
Statistics Canada also says the ranks of Canada’s long-term unemployed, those who have been out of work for six months or more, was little changed in October at almost 380,000.
October’s gains came in below the expectations of Royal Bank economists Nathan Janzen and Claire Fan, who were projecting a gain of around 50,000 jobs in the month.
(With files from the Canadian Press)
