[LINK] "Windsor's jobless rate climbs to 14.4 per cent as nation's highest"

[rfmcdonald]

Things continue to go very badly in the southern Ontario city of Windsor, an automotive manufacturing centre located on the other side of the US-Canadian border from Detroit.

Windsor continued to have the highest unemployment rate in Canada in June with the latest labour market figures released by Statistics Canada Friday showing that 14.4 per cent of the local population was jobless.

That represented a jump of 0.6 per cent over 13.8 per cent in May, meaning that there were more than 25,000 people out of work in the metropolitan area at the beginning of summer.

However, Rick Laporte, president of CAW Local 444 representing Chrysler workers, suggested the reopening of the Windsor Assembly Plant June 30, and the announced addition of a third shift Friday may mean that the local economy hit its lowest point in June and may now begin to recover.

“I’m hopeful,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ve hit bottom, but with the plant back back up, the numbers should improve. Certainly I expect a softer (unemployment) rate next month, no question.”

He said the 3,500 Chrysler workers who returned to the job at the end of June should also have a positive impact on area feeder plants, with some of them possibly being in the position to hire.

“The third shift is wonderful news,” He said. “That 14.4 per cent number seems ridiculously high.”

The Windsor Star has an economy section with articles on different aspects of Windsor's various economic issues.