Barrie Unemployment Rate Sheds Half a Percentage Point

Barrie’s unemployment rate fell half a percentage point last month. Statistics Canada says the jobless rate in the city slid from a seasonally adjusted 7.9 to 7.4 per cent for the month of December. Meanwhile the federal rate rose to 6.9 per cent, despite the economy adding 50,000 jobs last month. More people coast-to-coast entered the workforce, causing the modest bump. Ontario’s unemployment rate is sitting at 6.4 per cent, one tenth of a point higher than the month before.