The city's unemployment rate stood at 5.8 per cent in December, according to Statistics Canada labour market survey numbers.
That's down marginally from 5.9 per cent for the same month in 2017, but underlying numbers show a less robust picture for the most recent month.
Specifically, the number of people working was 45,500 compared to 49,600 at the same point a year ago. As well, the number of people of working age in the city was 48,200, down from 52,700.
The number of people unemployed but seeking work was 2,800 as of December, down from 3,100, while the number of working age not seeking work was 24,600, up from 19,800.
As a result, the employment rate was 62.4 per cent, down from 68.4 per cent.
For November 2018, the unemployment rate was 5.2 per cent with 46,100 working, 2,500 seeking work and 24,300 not participating.
The numbers are based on a three-month rolling average and do not separate part-time from full-time employment.
Accuracy of the December unemployment rate is plus or minus one percentage point, 68 per cent of the time. For December 2017, it was plus or minus 0.8 percentage points, and for November 2018 it was plus or minus 0.9 percentage points.
