Canada's unemployment rate drops to 6.9%

Canada's unemployment rate dropped 0.2 percentage points to 6.9 percent in September, the government's data office said Friday. Employment rose 1.2 percent, the agency said, with the addition of 212,000 jobs from a year earlier. The number of hours worked has risen 0.8 percent in 12 months, "as part-time employment grew at a faster pace than full time," StatsCan said. On average, the economy has gained 17,666 jobs per month over the past 12 months, although gains have slowed since March. StatsCan said Saskatchewan lost 3,200 jobs in the month, although the province has the second highest 12-month employment gain in the country at 3.1 percent. Saskatchewan's unemployment rate matches the rate in Alberta, at 4.3 percent, which is the lowest among provinces. In September, the unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage points in Ontario to 7.3 percent. The number of jobs in the province is up 1.7 percent from September 2012, ahead of the national average gain of 1.2 percent. Offsetting Ontario, the unemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage points in Quebec in the month to 7.6 percent, partly due to fewer youths looking for work.