Manitoba unemployment rate bucks national trend

Manitoba's unemployment rate bucked the national trend in December. The province’s jobless rate fell a tenth of a point to 5.5 per cent last month.

Winnipeg also saw a small decline to 5.8 per cent.

Nationally, 46,000 jobs were lost in December. That pushed the unemployment rate up three-tenths of a point, to 7.2 per cent.

The total job gain in 2013 was the slowest since 2009.

BMO Capital Markets chief economist Doug Porter said the dismal jobs data will add pressure to the loonie and stoke chatter about the possibility of an interest rate cut by the Bank of Canada.

- With files from The Canadian Press

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  Manitoba’s jobless rate fell a tenth of a point to 5.5 per cent in December. Nationally, 46,000 jobs were lost in December, pushing the unemployment rate up three-tenths of a point, to 7.2 per cent.