Barrie’s Jobless Rate Finally Rises

Rate Up Slightly Following Month over Month of Decline

Barrie’s jobless rate had nowhere to go but up. Mayor Jeff Lehman tells us via email this morning the unemployment rate was up to 4.8 per cent in January, around one and a half a percentage point higher than the month before, but still significantly below the provincial and national average. Lehman says the labour force in the city actually shrank last month, more people stopped working than started in January, but suspects it has to do with the season. Barrie’s unemployment rate in December was 3.3 per cent, a record setting low. Meanwhile, 88,000 jobs were lost in Canada last month; it’s the biggest one month drop in 9 years and Ontario and Quebec were hit hardest; jobless rate at 5.9% nationally, 5.5 on the provincial level.