Statistics Canada released the numbers from their latest Labour Force Survey Friday morning, and the news was not what many were anticipating. 

The numbers show the country as a whole lost 71,000 jobs in November. This is a far cry from the gain of 10,000 which was expected by many. As a result, the national unemployment rate took a substantial jump, increasing from 5.5 percent to 5.9 percent. This is the highest it has been since 2019, and it is the biggest monthly job loss in a number of years.

Provincially the unemployment rate took a significant jump as well, moving from 5.1 percent to 5.8 percent. However, full-time employment numbers held steady. The increase came primarily from an increase in people in the labour force, as more people started looking for work. It is the third-lowest unemployment rate in the country.

In southeast Saskatchewan, the unemployment rate remained steady at 3.4 percent. Year over year, however, there were 1200 fewer people working last month. In terms of regions, it remains one of the lowest in the country, something which has been steady over the past twelve months.