London’s unemployment rate went down once again last month. Statistics Canada says London’s jobless rate went from 6.8 per cent in November to 6.2 in December.
Across the country, Ontario was the only province where employment grew in December, with a net gain of 34,900 jobs - lowering unemployment to 6.7 per cent from 6.9 per cent.
Nationally, the labour force beat expectations last month when it received a boost of 22,800 net jobs, thanks in large part to the gain in Ontario.
Locally, the unemployment rate has dropped to levels not seen since before the economic downturn of 2008.
"The diversity in London's economy has played a large role in this job gain. These jobs that we're talking about today have come in manufacturing, professional services and the digital creative industry," says Kapil Lakhotia, the president and CEO of the London Economic Development Corporation.
He says the region has been steadily adding jobs over the last number of years.
"We saw better economic conditions in the region thanks to a number of factors including a lower dollar, better U.S. economy and a stronger housing market."
Monte McNaughton, MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, says the Liberal government is not helping small businesses and that would help with unemployment numbers.
"We need a government that's on the side of small and medium sized businesses, not a government that gives 96 percent of economic development funding to large corporations, without applications,” he says.
"The Wynne Liberals have no plan to support small business and I'd like to see leadership in this."
Ontario Economic Development and Employment Minister Brad Duguid says economists point to the lower dollar and a rising international demand for Ontario exports as two key factors expected to spur growth and jobs in 2016.
Duguid says the government will partner with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce on a $350,000 fund to provide grants for clusters of businesses in one geographic area, such as the IT sector in Kitchener-Waterloo or the chemical cluster in Sarnia.
The Progressive Conservatives say the Liberals give taxpayers' money mainly to well-connected and very large companies, instead of focusing on small and medium-sized businesses that create most of the new jobs.
Meanwhile the NDP says the Liberals made such a mess of Ontario's electricity sector and have driven energy rates so high, manufacturers are afraid to set up or expand operations despite the advantages of the lower value of the Canadian dollar.
With files from The Canadian Press.
