Canada Sheds Jobs for Second Month in a Row

Quebec, Saskatchewan bear brunt of rising unemployment.

Canada lost nearly 20,000 jobs in November, following an October in which a surprising 54,000 jobs were cut from the Canadian economy. Statistics Canada says there were 18,600 fewer jobs at the end of November than at the beginning, pushing Canada's unemployment rate up a tenth of a percentage point to 7.4. Most of the jobs lost in November were part-time, as some 53,000 part-time positions were cut while 34,600 new full time positions were created. Most of the losses occurred in Quebec and Saskatchewan, while the rest of the country's numbers remained even. These job numbers bolster a claim made earlier this week by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that Canada's economy faced sluggish growth and persistent unemployment.