London unemployment rate dips in May, but labour market shows lingering weakness

Dundas Street near Wellington Road in London, Ont. on June 3, 2026. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)

The London region’s unemployment rate experienced a decrease last month, falling to 8.7 per cent in May 2026, according to the latest Labour Force Report from Statistics Canada.

This marks a significant drop from the 9.2 per cent recorded in April, bringing an end to a four-month period of consecutive increases that had previously positioned London with the highest jobless rate among large Canadian municipalities.

Despite this recent improvement, the local labour market continues to be characterized by weakness.

The May unemployment rate, while down 0.5 per cent from the previous month, remains above the long-run average for the region. It currently stands 2.9 per cent below the peak observed in June 2020.

Further highlighting the challenges, May 2026 saw a net decrease of 600 jobs in the region.

This was driven by a loss of 600 full-time positions compared to April, with the number of part-time jobs remaining unchanged.

Full-time employment has now fallen by 21,100 jobs from its peak in October 2023.