Even though 1,700 fewer people were working in the area last month, the London-St. Thomas unemployment rate fell to 6%. The rate in May was 6.2%
Statistics Canada figures released Friday show the drop was largely due to 2,200 people leaving the labour force. The London-St. Thomas area also saw a drop of 500 in the number of people claiming unemployment benefits.
Nationally, the economy added 45,300 jobs to bring the unemployment rate to 6.5% from May's 6.6%. The job growth came as a surprise to many economists, who were expected a gain of about 10,000 jobs.
The Ontario jobless rate fell to 6.4% from May's 6.5%.