The good news is the number of people on social assistance in Hastings-Quinte dropped last month, some of them getting jobs.
Statistics for June show that 3,142 people were collecting benefits, a 1.5% drop from May and slightly down from the same period last year.
Officials say this is due to seasonal work factors.
This indicates that just under 4% of the area population is receiving the assistance.
Meanwhile, the Social Services Employment Connection program has filled 122 jobs in June with an average wage of $12.61 an hour.
Thirty-five percent of them were in the retail customer service sector, and 28% in general labour.
Sixteen percent of the jobs were in manufacturing.
Officials say that since 2007, Employment Connections has filled 17,680 positions.
