Canada adds 108,000 jobs in October; 4,300 on Prince Edward Island alone

108K new jobs in October: StatsCan The Canadian economy picked up more than 108,000 jobs in October, according to data from Statistics Canada.

The proof of Canada’s latest jobs report is evident at the Sydney Call Centre in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

The centre had its strongest month of the fiscal year in October, as it hired 190 new employees, says Rick Ward, the centre’s regional manager.

Last month’s new hires brought the company to its long-standing goal of 600 employees, said Ward.

“Now, we're looking to push over that,” he said.

The Canadian economy added 108,000 jobs in October, reversing much of the losses seen in recent months.

In its latest labour force survey, Statistics Canada said Friday that the unemployment rate for the last month remained steady at 5.2 per cent.

“We’re definitely not [yet] seeing that slowdown in the labour market that a lot of people are predicting will happen,” said Lana Asaff of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council.

While there was little monthly change in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, employment on P.E.I. jumped by 4,300 jobs.

The Island’s unemployment rate fell from 8.3 per cent to 5.4 per cent.

Quebec had the lowest jobless rate at 4.1 per cent, while Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest at 10.3 per cent.

However, Asaff warns these trends -- while a positive sign for now -- might not necessarily last.

"Looking at the month-to-month changes, there is a lot of volatility in those numbers,” she said. “So, we don't want to make too much over what just happened in October. We'll see what happens next month, and over the next couple of months."

For the fifth consecutive month, Statistics Canada says wages continued to rise and were 5.6 per cent higher than a year ago, but still fell short of the annual inflation rate which sat at 6.9 per cent in September.

The report shows that high-wage earners had a better chance of getting a raise over the last year, compared to those earning lower wages.

Among workers who have been with their employer for the last twelve months, nearly 66 per cent of workers earning more than $40 an hour got a raise. In comparison, 50 per cent of workers making less than $20 an hour saw their wages go up.

With files from the Canadian Press.