Chatham-Kent’s economy is slowly but surely rebounding from the effects of the pandemic.
The municipality’s unemployment rate in May was 7%, nearly half of the 12.5% it was in May, 2020.
According to federal figures, the May 2021 jobless rate was unchanged from the month before, and continues to trend below the federal and provincial rates of 9.3 and 8.2% respectively.
Director of Economic Development Stuart McFadden says a number of other key indicators are moving in the right direction.
“The number of employed persons has increased by 8,000 year over year while the number of unemployed has decreased from 5,800 to 3,700 during the same time,” McFadden says. ”We continue to hear from employers who are having challenges finding a labour force that matches their needs. By continuing to promote local growth, especially in housing, employers can bring in the workers they need to remain competitive in their market.”
Chatham-Kent CAO Don Shropshire says economic prosperity is a top priority of municipal council.
“Prosperity provides the resources we need to achieve our other goals of increasing our population and providing a healthy and safe community where we can focus on people and culture and environmental sustainability,” he says. “It’s all part of moving our community in the direction we need it to go.”