According to Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate increased to 6.6 percent in August from 6.4 percent in July as students continued to encounter a difficult summer hiring season.
The agency’s labour force survey reveals that the economy added 22,000 jobs last month but could not cope with the pace of population growth.
Employment increased in educational services, health care and social assistance and finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing.
However, it reduced in professional, scientific and technical services, utilities and natural resources.
Students coming back to school in the fall encountered an average unemployment rate of 16.7 percent between May and August, the highest since summer 2012.
Workers’ wages kept increasing rapidly in August, with average hourly wages rising by five percent from 2023, reaching $35.16.
