A loss of 6,600 jobs across the country last month has prompted the Canadian Chamber of Commerce to say government needs to focus on private sector job creation.
“While we still see the recovery taking hold, the loss of jobs indicates that it is fragile and that we need to do everything we can to see it continue,” said Perrin Beatty, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
According to a Statistics Canada labour force report issued Friday, the number of employed workers in Canada edged down 6,600 to 17,209,700 in September.
Despite the loss, the agency said the nation’s unemployment rate actually dropped 0.1% to 8% overall as fewer youth “participated” in the labour market.
Last month, the number of employed Canadians between the ages of 15 and 24 dropped 41,900 to 2,401,600.
Employment for women over 25 fell by 10,900 to 6,967,000 while the number of employed men over the age of 25 increased 46,300 to 7,841,100.
In B.C., September saw 300 fewer people employed as the number of full-time workers dropped 3,400 but was offset by a gain of 3,000 in the number of employed part-time workers.
The province’s overall unemployment rate rose 0.2% to 7.5% in September.