Economy bleeds 71,000 jobs in November

The biggest monthly net job losses since 1982 drove Canada's unemployment rate up from 6.2 per cent to 6.3 per cent in November, according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada.

The economy shed 71,000 jobs in November, with Ontario recording the biggest loss of 66,000.

The manufacturing sector saw a net loss of 38,000 jobs. Again, Ontario was the hardest hit with a loss of 42,000 manufacturing jobs last month. Those losses contributed to Ontario's unemployment rate jumping to 7.1 per cent from 6.5 per cent in October.

Employment in the public administration sector also declined significantly, with a loss of 27,000 jobs in November. This followed gains in October associated with hiring for the federal election.

In Quebec, employment was mostly unchanged with 42,000 new full-time jobs offsetting the loss of 40,000 part-time jobs, which helped the unemployment rate edge down to 7.1 per cent from 7.2 per cent in October.

Nova Scotia lost 4,400 net jobs in November, all part-time, and the unemployment rate increased to 7.8 per cent from 7.5 per cent in October.

Employment remained relatively the same in the other provinces. The unemployment rate of all provinces west of Ontario remained below five per cent and saw small declines from October.

While the unemployment rates in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island were at 8.7 and 10.7 per cent, respectively, both saw declines from October. Newfoundland and Labrador's unemployment rate was unchanged at 13.7 per cent.