StatsCan reports 1.5 million people jobless at unemployment rate of 8.1 per cent
Statistics Canada reported Friday that both the number of people employed and the unemployment rate rose in August. Though an additional 36,000 people got jobs in August, the unemployment rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 8.1 per cent. That raised the number of unemployed by 17,800 to slightly more than 1.5 million. Statistics Canada said the higher unemployment rate resulted from another 53,500 people looking for work. While most provinces showed little change in employment, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador all reported big job gains. Education, professional, scientific and technical services, and natural resources saw gains, but manufacturing, support services for business, building and other industries, and information, culture and recreation fell. The summer was also a challenging one for students, an average unemployment rate of 16.8 per cent for those 15 to 24 years old.