Look away now if you find bleak economic news distressing.
There were 66,000 fewer jobs in August compared with July, according to Statistics Canada.
The unemployment rate also increased, from 6.9 per cent to 7.1 per cent.
That’s the highest unemployment rate since May 2016 (excluding COVID-19 years), with 1.6 million people out of work in August.
The situation is no happier in British Columbia, with an unemployment rate of 6.2 per cent – up 0.3 percentage points compared with July.
Overall employment in the province dropped by 16,000 last month.
StatCan also listed the unemployment rate in the following BC urban areas:
Kelowna: 4.1 per cent (down from 4.7 per cent in July)
Kamloops: 10.3 per cent (down from 10.7 per cent)
Chilliwack: 6.1 per cent (up from 5.6 per cent)
Abbotsford-Mission: 6.8 per cent (up from 6.4 per cent)
Vancouver: 6.1 per cent (unchanged)
Victoria: 5.1 per cent (up from 4.8 per cent)
Nanaimo: 8.5 per cent (up from 7.8 per cent)
Of Canada’s 20 largest urban areas, Kelowna had the lowest unemployment rate in August.
Across Canada, the agency noted an employment decline of 58,000 among core-aged men (25–54 years old) and a decline of 35,000 among core-aged women in August.
There was little change among younger and older workers, the agency said.
Several sectors recorded significant declines in employment, including professional/scientific/technical services (-26,000), transportation and warehousing (-23,000) and manufacturing (-19,000).
In construction, however, there were gains of 17,000.
Despite the gloom in terms of job numbers, average hourly wages still increased by 3.2 per cent on a yearly basis in August.
That followed a 3.3 per cent boost in July.
Today's job figures come as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Mark Carney and his new government to reveal their plans to boost Canada's economy.
In a statement released to the press last night, the Prime Minister's Office said the Carney government is focused on "building a stronger economy" amid trade disruptions caused by the US president.
The statement said the prime minister's meeting with his ministers for the so-called Cabinet Planning Forum on Thursday "focused on the government’s fall economic priorities, including fast-tracking nation-building infrastructure projects."
Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre, however, has said Carney has failed to deliver on his promises of negotiating a trade deal with the US and announcing a new economic strategy for Canada.
Poilievre said yesterday the PM had instead enjoyed a "Seinfeld summer: a bit show about nothing."
