Canada lost 68,000 jobs in September, the second consecutive monthly decline, and the unemployment rate rose to 6.5%. Those numbers make the labour market look softer. They do not make it simple. Statistics Canada says the employment rate fell to 60.6% and both full time and part time employment declined. The weakness was concentrated among young workers and core aged women, while employment also fell in educational services, health care and social assistance, and manufacturing. At the same time, Alberta added 23,000 jobs in the month while Quebec lost 49,000 and British Columbia lost 20,000. Ontario employment edged down, but it remained higher than a year earlier. The national headline is therefore real, but employers are still operating in very different local markets. That is the first HR lesson from the September report. A higher national unemployment rate does not automatically mean a specific employer suddenly has an easier recruiting market. An organization hiring specialized trades workers in Alberta can face a very different candidate pool from one recruiting administrative roles in Quebec.
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