More than 14,100 fewer working

Peterborough’s unemployment rate soared to 9.5 per cent in May after another month of businesses remaining closed under the COVID-19 pandemic state of emergency. The Peterborough rate was up from 7.7 per cent in April, the first full month of the pandemic. Statistics Canada reported Friday that 3,100 fewer people were employed locally in May compared to April — with a staggering 14,100 fewer people working than there were in May 2019. Still, the local rate was well below the national average of 13.7 per cent in May, which was up from 13.1 per cent in April. Peterborough also had the third lowest jobless rate in May of Ontario’s 15 census metropolitan areas and the fifth lowest of Canada’s 34 census metropolitan areas. The jobless rate in Oshawa rose to 10.1 per cent in May from 8.5 per cent in April, while Kingston jumped to 10.8 per cent from 7.9 per cent and Barrie soared to 11.6 per cent from 9.1 per cent. Peterborough’s labour force has shrunk dramatically over the past year. There were 53,800 people available for work in May, compared to 56,100 in April and 60,700 in January. The labour force is also down 12,900 people from a year ago when the labour force was 66,700. Of those available to work, 5,100 could not find work in May, compared to 4,300 in April and 3,900 a year ago. The local figures are for the Peterborough census metropolitan area, which includes the city, the four surrounding townships of Cavan Monaghan, Selwyn, DouroDummer and Otonabee-South Monaghan, along with Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations.