The regional unemployment rate in the area that includes Bruce and Grey counties fell to 4.1 per cent in March.
It’s a decline from 4.5 per cent in February. The Four County Labour Market Planning Board says there were more than 2,700 new full-time positions and 1,300 part-time jobs created in the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula region last month.
The healthcare and social assistance sector experienced the biggest job gains, with more than 1,600 new positions. There were also employment gains in the manufacturing (+1,300), business, building and support services (+1,300), information, culture and recreation (+1,200) and construction (+700) industries.
Jobs were lost in the other services (-700), agriculture (-500), fishing, mining and quarrying (-400) and professional, scientific and technical services (-300) sectors.
The region’s labour force participation rate increased to 60 per cent in March.
The unemployment rate decline in the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula region in March bucked the broader trend. Ontario’s jobless rate increased to 6.6 per cent last month. Nationally, the number jumped to 6.1 per cent.