Barrie’s unemployment rate edged up to 8.5 per cent in December, according to new data from Statistics Canada.
Based on a seasonally adjusted three-month moving average, the rate rose from 8.4 per cent in November. The national unemployment rate stood at 6.8 per cent last month.
Barrie’s jobless rate is tied with Oshawa and trails Belleville–Quinte West, which posted 10.6 per cent, and Brantford at 9.3 per cent.
Mayor Alex Nuttall said the figures underscore the city’s need to focus on long-term job creation.
“While these are very erratic measurements with high fluctuation, it reinforces why Barrie needs to focus on having a greater supply of industrial land to create jobs on,” he said.
Nuttall said the city will work to attract new industry following the recent annexation of land in Barrie’s north end.
“Our team is laser focused on getting Barrie’s new lands to market and creating long-term good paying jobs for the people of Barrie,” he said.
On Jan. 1, Barrie officially annexed 1,216 hectares from the Township of Springwater and 457 hectares from the Township of Oro-Medonte. Of that total, 313 hectares have been designated for employment land development.
City officials have said the annexation is key to attracting new manufacturers, logistics firms and advanced industries, while reducing reliance on residential growth alone.
The annexation followed the passage of Bill 76, the Barrie–Oro-Medonte–Springwater Boundary Adjustment Act, 2025, which received approval on Dec. 9 from the Ontario government.
Statistics Canada cautions that unemployment figures for individual cities can fluctuate significantly from month to month due to small sample sizes.
