London’s unemployment rate dropped to seven per cent in February.
Statistics Canada says London’s jobless rate decreased from 7.2 in January.
In Bruce, Grey, Huron and Perth counties the unemployment rate inched up 0.5 per cent, to 5.6 per cent .
Compared to January, 1,200 local full-time jobs disappeared in February, but there were 900 new part time jobs.
Meanwhile, Canada's unemployment rate climbed to 6.8 per cent in February as Alberta's labour market showed its first significant decline since the global oil slump.
Statistics Canada's latest labour market survey says the country's jobless rate crept up from 6.6 per cent the previous month -- even though it only registered a month-to-month net loss of 1,000 jobs.
The agency says the unemployment rate in February rose because while the labour force grew by 49,200 people, the growth in the number of unemployed people was even greater at 50,200.
The unemployment rate came in higher than the 6.7 per cent consensus projection of economists, who also predicted a net loss of 5,000 jobs, according to Thomson Reuters.
The survey says energy-rich Alberta lost 14,000 net jobs in February and saw its unemployment rate surge by 0.8 percentage points last month to 5.3 per cent -- its highest level since September 2011.
The agency says Alberta's natural resources sector alone shed 7,000 positions -- most of them in support activities for mining, oil and gas.
With files from The Canadian Press.
