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City's unemployment rate 6.6 per cent in May

The city's unemployment rate stood at 6.6 per cent in May, according to Statistics Canada labour market survey numbers released Friday. That's the same rate the city experienced a year ago but dig a little deeper and there were some changes of note.
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The city's unemployment rate stood at 6.6 per cent in May, according to Statistics Canada labour market survey numbers released Friday.

That's the same rate the city experienced a year ago but dig a little deeper and there were some changes of note. The number of people holding down jobs totaled 46,500 last month - a 900 job increase, while the total not participating was 22,200, a 500-person decrease.

As well, the city's total labour force grew by 1,000 to 49,800.

The number seeking work was 3,300, up 100 from the same month last year.

Month-over-month painted a less than rosy picture although Statistic Canada stresses it's not always a fair comparison.

In April, the unemployment rate was 4.7 per cent, 46,700 people were working , 23,000 were not participating and 2,300 were seeking work.

The numbers are based on a three-month rolling average and do not separate part-time from full-time positions.