Statistics Canada says the national unemployment rate was 5.4 per cent in August, ticking up for the first time in seven months. Job figures released Friday show that Canada’s economy lost 40,000 jobs last month, with the losses concentrated in the public sector. In July, unemployment reached a historic low of 4.9 per cent. The report finds employment declines were primarily among young women aged 15 to 24 and people between the ages of 55 to 64. PEI’s unemployment rate in August stood at 7.3 percent, which is up from July’s 5.7 percent. Employment grew by 800 in PEI in August.