The Canadian economy created a record of 107,000 new jobs in September, helping keep the country's unemployment rate steady, national agency Statistics Canada reported Friday.
Although 97,000 of the new jobs are part-time, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the massive number is proof that his government's economic policies are sound and that the economy is on the right track.
Previous objections were put at only 13,000 new jobs created during the month.
"When I say that notwithstanding the challenges our fundamentals are strong, let me repeat we've had GDP numbers up dramatically, we've had employment numbers up dramatically," Harper told supporters at a campaign stop in Ontario province.
The country's unemployment rate held steady at 6.1 percent, with the manufacturing sector down a total of 342,000 jobs since 2002.
Experts point out that the numbers are misleading because the economy is represented by a surge in part-time jobs to the detriment of full-time employment, especially in the industrial sector.
"While the Conservative government may boast about job creation, these part-time jobs do little to replace the 167,000 family-supporting manufacturing jobs lost since they took office," said Ken Lewenza, national president of the Canadian Auto Workers.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said the new statistics are the result of Conservative policies like tax cuts, and he added that the International Monetary Fund projects that Canada will lead theG-7 countries in growth over the next year.
While growth is projected at 1.2 percent, Flaherty conceded that the economy is still facing difficulties.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article