The North Bay-Parry Sound region saw a drop in employee hires during 2016 compared to 2015. The Labour Market Group says while shop owners hired 1,040 people during 2015, the 2016 calendar year took a 15 percent hit when businesses only took on 882 people. The numbers take into account full and part-time people as well as seasonal and contract work. Most of the hires in 2016 involved part-time people at 377. That’s in contrast to 2015 where part-time hires were third at 237 behind seasonal workers (457) and full-time (295). The statistics are based on the number of employers who responded to the LMG’s Employer One Survey. In 2016, 199 employers completed the survey which was a drop from the 220 who took part in the survey during 220. In 2014, 208 businesses answered the survey. When it comes to employment separations, that is people who are no longer part of the workforce, the numbers improve. 2016 shows that 534 fewer people were no longer working. That’s in contrast to 696 who had left the workforce in 2015 and 894 who were no longer working in 2014. These employment separations took in factors like retirements, permanent and temporary lay-offs, firings or quitting altogether.