Jobless rate slips to 7.9 per cent in October
Posted November 5, 2010 11:55 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA – Canada’s unemployment rate fell to 7.9 per cent last month, the first time it has been under eight per cent since June.
But the overall picture remains of a stalled economy, with only 3,000 net new jobs added, about one third economists expectations.
Statistics Canada said the jobless rate edged down because fewer Canadians were actively looking for work in October.
There were some bright spots in the lacklustre report, including that 47,000 full-time jobs were added, with about 38,000 of those in the private sector.
The increase was partly offset by a 44,000 drop in part-time work, and the fact more than half of the private sector jobs came in the self-employment category.
The agency said job gains were strongest in Alberta, with 17,000 additional workers, while Nova Scotia fared the worst in the regional break-down, dropping 8,600 jobs.
