The Guelph Chamber of Commerce says the creation of 3,600 jobs in the city during the past year means Guelph’s unemployment rate is well below the provincial rate.

In a year-end summary of jobs and business growth in Guelph, the chamber says the local business community boosted employment by 3,600 jobs during 2010, putting the local unemployment rate at 7.7%, compared with the provincial average of 8.8%. That’s according to Industry Canada’s economic overview for Ontario in November, the chamber says. Guelph’s labour market is about 72,000 jobs, with 5,600 people registered as unemployed.

“While manufacturing is having a slow employment recovery in Ontario, here in Guelph many manufacturers are telling the chamber they are in a hiring mode,” the chamber says.

“We need to attract more people to Guelph to meet the demand of our manufacturers and the manufacturers who are locating here in 2011,” its year-end summary says.

The chamber’s advocacy committee, it notes, is currently working on an analysis of Guelph’s competitiveness in terms of land, building, taxes and utilities as measured against 10 other Ontario communities.