PEI unemployment rate held steady at 8.1% in December

The PEI economy added a total of 100 jobs in December as the provincial unemployment rate held steady in December, unchanged from 8.1 percent in November.  The national unemployment rate held steady at 5.8 per cent as employment grew by 100 last month.  That’s because the number of full-time jobs fell by 23,500 in December, offset by a gain of 23,600 part-time positions in the month. The number of jobs in the professional, scientific and technical services sector rose by 45,700 in the month, while the number of jobs in health care and social assistance climbed by 15,500.  The wholesale and retail trade sector lost 20,600 jobs in December.