The country’s unemployment rate has gone up for the first time since January. After holding steady at 6.8 per cent for 2015 so far, it’s gone up to 7. The economy added 12,000 jobs last month, but 40,000 more people were looking for work.
While the rate held steady at 6 per cent in Alberta, it increased in the western region that houses Grande Prairie and Peace River. The rate went up to 5.1 per cent in August. It was down to 4.8 in July, after spiking to 5.5 the month before.
Most of the country’s job gains came from the public sector. There were more in natural resources and education and less in construction and manufacturing.