The London area saw a drop in the unemployment rate for a second straight month in August.
According to figures released by Statistics Canada on Friday, the jobless rate for the London Census Metropolitan Area was 9.3 per cent, down from July's rate of 10.5 per cent. The London CMA includes London, St. Thomas, Strathroy, and other surrounding communities.
Close to 7,000 jobs were added in the London area in August, bringing the number of employed people in the area to nearly 251,000. The Statistics Canada figures show that more than 18,000 jobs have been added over the past two months. While encouraging, the figure shows that many people who have been laid off or let go during the pandemic are not yet back to work.
The national jobless rate was 10.2 per cent in August, down 0.7 percentage points from July's rate. The Ontario unemployment rate was 10.6 per cent, a drop from July's 11.3 per cent. Statistics Canada says 246,000 jobs were added across the country, while 142,000 jobs were added in Ontario.
