The local unemployment rate dropped significantly in April.
The rate for the Belleville-Quinte West Census Metropolitan Area which includes Belleville, Quinte West, Deseronto-Tyendinaga and Stirling-Rawdon was just 1.9 per cent last month, down from 5.6 in March.
However, calculations for the Belleville-Quinte West CMA, which has seen significant swings from month to month, may not be completely accurate.
Last year, CEO of the Quinte Economic Development Commission Chris King told Quinte News that the current sample size for the local CMA is not accurate which is why numbers are fluctuating so much.
He says the Labour Force Survey is being redesigned in 2025 and will be based on 2021 census data, which should reduce variability.
Unemployment rates in Kingston and Peterborough both rose in April.
Kingston jumped to 7.2 per cent from March’s 6.2 while Peterborough rose to 10.8 per cent from 9.1 per cent.
The national unemployment rate ticked up to 6.9 per cent from 6.7 in March with the manufacturing industry leading the job losses.
Economist Doug Porter says it shows that U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminum and autos are already taking a material bite out of our economy.
In Ontario, April’s unemployment rate was 7.8 per cent, up from 7.5 in March.
(With files from the Canadian Press)
