The unemployment rate in the London area fell in March.
According to Statistics Canada, the jobless rate in the London-St. Thomas region was 6.3% last month, down from 6.7% in February. The federal agency says the number of people working in the area climbed by 2,100 in March.
The labour participation rate, which measures the percentage of people who have jobs or are looking for work and has long been a concern in London, was up slightly to 60.8%. However, it still lags behind the national rate of 65.5%.
Nationally, there was no change in the unemployment rate. It remained at 5.8% as the economy created 32,300 net new jobs. Statistics Canada says 68,300 full-time jobs were created, while the economy lost 35,900 part-time jobs.
In Ontario, the unemployment rate held steady at 5.5%, despite the creation of 10,000 new jobs. The new jobs were offset by an increase in the labour force.
