New Brunswick jobless rate hits lowest level since 2009

New Brunswick's jobless rate inched down to 8.1 per centin June, and hasn't been this low in almost eight years.

According to Statistics Canada, New Brunswick's jobless rate was at 8 per cent inNovember 2009.

The latest monthly labour force report shows 100 full-time jobs were added in June, while 300 part-time jobs were lost.

Although the province's June unemployment rate is down from 8.4 per centin May, the agency said 1,600 people left the labour force altogether.

• New Brunswick jobless rate dips in May with 700 new jobs
• New Brunswick employment hits 10-month low in April
• N.B. employers have jobs they can't fill so they're looking south for job-seekers

Last June, the New Brunswick economy added 1,200 jobs but saw the unemployment rate hit 10.3 per cent.

Looking to the future, Herb Emery, the VaughanChair in regional economics at the University of New Brunswick, said jobless rates could go back upin coming months because of the tariff the U.S. is imposing on New Brunswick softwood lumber.

"The bigger indicator needs to be focusing on what isinvestment looking like in the province," Emery said.

"In a lot of cases, we've had sort of big projects that might've kept construction employment up, but if those are coming offline in the next year or so and there's no project to replace them, we can expect a downturn."

Lowest in Atlantic Canada

Compared to the rest of Atlantic Canada, the province has won the title of the lowest unemployment rate for the month of June.

In Nova Scotia, the jobless rate is at 8.8 per cent. P.E.Iis at 10.2 per cent, and Newfoundland and Labrador at14.9 per cent.

Meanwhile,Canada's economy added another45,000 jobs in June, pushing the unemployment rate down to 6.5 per cent.

Statistics Canada reported that most of the new jobs were part time. About 37,000 part-time jobs and about 8,000 full-time jobs were created during the month, the agency reported.

• Canada adds 45,000 jobs in June, mainly part time

The June numbers mean Canada's economy has now added jobs in all but two of the last 12 months, fora total of 351,000 new jobs over that time, most of them full-time.

New Brunswick cities

In June, the highest unemployment rate was in the Campbellton and Miramichiareas, where it was 10.3 per cent, a decline from 11.5 per cent this time last year.

In the Moncton and Richibucto area, the unemployment rate hovers around 7.5 per cent, down from 10 per cent.

In the Saint John and St. Stephen area, the unemployment rate is sitting at 6.6 per cent this month, down from 7.8 per cent from last year.

Fredericton's unemployment rate is at 4.8 per cent, down from 7.6 per cent last year.

In the Edmundston and Woodstock area, the unemployment rate is at 3.4 per cent, compared with 2.4 per cent a year ago.