The Toronto region has one of the most diversified economies in the world. While the service sector plays an important role, manufacturing continues to be a significant employer. Employment by Sector employment-by-industry Source: Statistics Canada 2013. In 2009, the GTA manufacturing sector employed 341,990 employees. GTA Top Ten Manufacturing Sectors by Employment (2009) GTA-Top-Ten-Manufacturing-Sectors Source: City of Toronto, Toronto CMA 2009 Industry Profiles In 2009 the unemployment rate in the Toronto Region was 9.44 percent. Toronto Unemployment Rate 1991-2009. The GTA region has also been one of the fastest in the world to recovery from the recent recession, with the province of Ontario having already recovered 125% of jobs lost to the recession. Toronto-Unemployment-Rate-1991-2009 Relative to other North American cities qualified labor is readily available in the GTA.