The national unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in more than 40 years as Canada closed out a calendar year that saw it produce jobs at a pace not seen since 2002.
Statistics Canada says the unemployment rate dropped to 5.7 per cent in December, down from 5.9 per cent the month before, to reach its lowest mark since 1976..
The unemployment reading fell last month as the economy generated
78,600 net new positions, including 23,700 full-time jobs.
In Prince Edward Island, there were 900 additional people working in December, a second consecutive monthly increase. The unemployment rate for the province increased by 1.0 percentage point in December to 9.8%, the result of more Islanders searching for work.