The local unemployment rate climbed a full percentage point in September.
Statistics Canada’s labour force survey reports the unemployment rate for the Belleville-Quinte West Census Metropolitan Area, which includes Belleville, Quinte West, Deseronto-Tyendinaga and Stirling-Rawdon, was 6.4 per cent last month, up from 5.4 in August.
Kingston’s rate rose one-tenth to 5.6 per cent while the Peterborough CMA fell to 6.8 from 7 per cent.
Statistics Canada says the national rate ticked up to 6.5 per cent from 6.4 per cent.
Canada’s economy shed 68,000 jobs in September, marking the second straight month of falling employment.
Young workers aged 15 to 24 bore the brunt of last month’s losses, with 48,000 fewer jobs, though employment also fell among women aged 25 to 54.
StatCan says job losses were split between full- and part-time work and were concentrated in the public sector.
