Prince Edward Island saw 900 more people working in December, but also saw the unemployment rate increase by one percentage point to 9.8 per cent, according to the recent labour force survey from Statistics Canada.
More people were looking for work in December, which led to the increase in the unemployment rate.
Looking at year-over-year data, employment in Prince Edward Island rose 3.9 per cent in 2017, which was an increase of 2,800 jobs. All of these gains were in full-time work, while part-time employment ended the year down by 11.5 per cent.
The biggest gains in employment for P.E.I. year-over-year were in the goods-producing sector, namely in construction, agriculture and manufacturing.
Meanwhile, Statistics Canada reported Friday the unemployment rate for Canada dropped to 5.7 per cent in December, which is its lowest mark since comparable data became available in 1976.
