The London area jobless rate has dipped slightly in the latest numbers from Statistics Canada.

The rate dropped to 5.6 per cent for July, down from 6.0 per cent in June.

The unemployment rate across Ontario also edged down from 6.4 to 6.1 per cent in July.

This, as the nation’s unemployment numbers are the lowest since pre-recession, in October of 2008.

Nationally, the economy added jobs in July, the eighth consecutive month of growth, as the unemployment rate fell to its lowest point in nearly nine years, as the number of people looking for work dropped.

Statistics Canada says the pace of job growth slowed, however, with 10,900 net new positions, down from an increase of 45,300 in June.

The number of full-time jobs grew by 35,100, offset by the loss of 24,300 part-time jobs.

The labour force numbers came as Statistics Canada also reported that the country's trade deficit rose to $3.6 billion in June from a shortfall of $1.4 billion the previous month.

Exports fell 4.3 per cent to $46.5 billion, while imports climbed 0.3 per cent to $50.1 billion.

Here's a quick look at the July employment numbers (previous month in brackets):

  • Unemployment rate: 6.3 per cent (6.5)
  • Employment rate:61.6 per cent (61.6)
  • Labour force participation rate:65.7 per cent (65.9)
  • Number unemployed: 1,246,800 (1,270,300)
  • Number working: 18,421,900 (18,411,000)
  • Youth (15-24 years) unemployment rate: 11.1 per cent (12.0)
  • Men (25-plus) unemployment rate: 5.6 per cent (5.8)
  • Women (25-plus) unemployment rate:5.5 per cent (5.3)

Here are the jobless rates last month by province (previous month in brackets):

  • Newfoundland and Labrador 15.7 per cent (14.9)
  • Prince Edward Island 10.0 (10.2)
  • Nova Scotia 7.9 (8.8)
  • New Brunswick 6.5 (8.1)
  • Quebec 5.8 (6.0)
  • Ontario 6.1 (6.4)
  • Manitoba 5.0 (5.3)
  • Saskatchewan 6.6 (6.5)
  • Alberta 7.8 (7.4)
  • British Columbia 5.3 (5.1)

Statistics Canada also released seasonally adjusted, three-month moving average unemployment rates for major cities. It cautions, however, that the figures may fluctuate widely because they are based on small statistical samples.

Here are the jobless rates last month by city (previous month in brackets):

  • St. John's, N.L. 8.4 per cent (7.9)
  • Halifax 6.8 (6.9)
  • Moncton, N.B. 5.2 (5.4)
  • Saint John, N.B. 6.2 (6.3)
  • Saguenay, Que. 6.9 (7.0)
  • Quebec 4.0 (4.4)
  • Sherbrooke, Que. 5.6 (5.6)
  • Trois-Rivieres, Que. 6.3 (6.3)
  • Montreal 6.3 (6.5)
  • Gatineau, Que. 5.5 (5.5)
  • Ottawa 6.5 (6.1)
  • Kingston, Ont. 5.5 (5.4)
  • Peterborough, Ont. 9.6 (8.5)
  • Oshawa, Ont. 5.9 (5.7)
  • Toronto 6.9 (6.7)
  • Hamilton 5.4 (5.2)
  • St. Catharines-Niagara, Ont. 6.6 (7.2)
  • Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ont. 4.8 (5.2)
  • Brantford, Ont. 5.0 (4.6)
  • Guelph, Ont. 4.5 (3.8)
  • London, Ont. 5.6 (6.0)
  • Windsor, Ont. 6.2 (5.2)
  • Barrie, Ont. 6.3 (5.7)
  • Sudbury, Ont. 6.7 (6.6)
  • Thunder Bay, Ont. 5.4 (5.8)
  • Winnipeg 5.6 (5.8)
  • Regina 5.4 (5.1)
  • Saskatoon 8.4 (8.4)
  • Calgary 8.5 (8.9)
  • Edmonton 8.5 (7.9)
  • Kelowna, B.C. 3.6 (3.6)
  • Abbotsford, B.C. 5.6 (5.4)
  • Vancouver 5.1 (5.1)
  • Victoria 4.6 (4.1)