National and provincial unemployment rates dropped in January

Statistics Canada says the national unemployment rate edged down slightly to 5.7 per cent last month as the economy added 37,000 jobs.  It marks the first decline in the unemployment rate since December 2022.  The federal agency’s labour force survey says employment rose across several sectors in January, led by wholesale and retail trade as well as finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing.  Meanwhile, accommodation and food services saw the largest employment decline.   PEI’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.4 percent in January from 8.1 percent in December.  Employment grew by 100 in PEI in January.