Unemployment continues to edge downward in B.C. and Canada

Unemployment continues to edge downward in BC and across the country, as Canada tries to shed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Statistics Canada says 378,000 mainly full-time jobs were added last month, lowering the national jobless rate to nine per cent from 10.2 per cent in August.

Unemployment reached a record-high of 13.7 per cent during the height of the pandemic in May and while September's number is encouraging, Stats Can says it would have been 11.9 per cent last month if people who wanted a job, but didn't look for work had been included in the calculation.

In BC, more people earned a paycheque in September as economists say the jobless rate in this province dipped to 8.4 per cent from 10.7 per cent in August.