The capital region’s jobless rate dropped a bit to 4.3 per cent in January, compared with 4.4 per cent in December, but it wasn’t due to a strong economy.
The number of jobs actually decreased by a seasonally adjusted 11,600.
The jobless rate fell only because the labour force, which includes people looking for work, shrank an even faster 12,900.
By sector, the big job losses in the capital region in January were in health care (down 4,700), construction (down 4,000) and retail (off 2,600).
Overall, a net drop of 16,300 (not seasonally adjusted) for a total of 780,900.
Federal government employment rose by a net 2,700 to 163,500 — 21 per cent of the region’s workforce.
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