Local unemployment falls in January

Statistics Canada has released the jobs report for January.

The national unemployment rate fell to 6.5 per cent last month. However, the country saw 25,000 jobs disappeared, mostly in part-time opportunities. Statistics Canada noted that the job losses were felt mostly by women aged 25 to 49.

Locally, in the Belleville, Quinte West, Tyendinaga co-corridor, the unemployment rate fell from 10.6 per cent in December, to 10 per cent last month.

The provincial unemployment rate went down from 7.9 per cent in December to 7.3 per cent last month.