Canada's unemployment rate down to 6.9 pct in September

People walk past a job board in Toronto, Canada, on Oct. 8, 2021. Canada's unemployment rate continued downward trend, falling 0.2 percentage points to 6.9 percent in September 2021, the lowest rate since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Statistics Canada said Friday. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

OTTAWA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Canada's unemployment rate continued downward trend, falling 0.2 percentage points to 6.9 percent in September 2021, the lowest rate since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Statistics Canada said Friday.

Canada's jobless rate declined for the fourth consecutive month in September.

Employment returned to its February 2020 level in September, increasing by 157,000, or 0.8 percent. The employment rate was 60.9 percent, 0.9 percentage points lower than in February 2020.

The labor force participation rate was 65.5 percent in September, matching the rate observed in February 2020.

The numbers of public- and private-sector employees were at or above February 2020 levels, while self-employment remained 8.4 percent below its pre-pandemic level.

Employment in the services-producing sector surpassed its pre-COVID level in September, while employment in the goods-producing sector remained 3.2 percent below its February 2020 level.

Total hours worked were up 1.1 percent but were 1.5 percent below their pre-pandemic level.

The number of people working from home was 4.1 million in September, down from 5.1 million in April 2020. Enditem