New Brunswick's jobless rate rises to 9.1%

New Brunswick's unemployment rate increased to 9.1 per cent in January, when 5,800 jobs were lost, according to the Statistics Canada monthly labour force report.

The unemployment rate increased 1.3 per cent in January compared to December, when the rate fell to 7.8 per cent.

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The province's participation rate — the percentage of working-age people who are employed or looking for jobs — dipped 0.2 per cent to 61.6 per cent.

"On a year-over-year basis, employment in the province was little changed," Statistics Canada said.

The Canadian economy shed 88,000 jobs in January, with the losses concentrated in part-time work, Statistics Canada reported.

The drop in employment pushed the national jobless rate up by 0.1 percentage points to 5.9 per cent.

The New Brunswick breakdown

In the Saint John and St. Stephen area, the unemployment rate is around 6.1 per cent, down from 6.8 per cent last January 2017.

In the Campbellton and Miramichi area, the unemployment rate was 8.8 per cent, dropping from 10.5 per cent.

In the Moncton and Richibucto area, the unemployment rate was sitting at 8.7 per cent, down from 9.9 per cent this time last year.

In the Fredericton and Oromocto area, the rate was 5.5 per cent, up from 4.1 per cent.

In the Edmundston and Woodstock area, it was 2.9 per cent, up from 2.3 per cent.