The US jobless rate fell 0.4 percent in January, while edging up 0.2 percent in Canada on the heels of a growing labor force.
The US Labor Department announced Friday that the national unemployment rate fell to 9 percent in January from 9.4 percent in December-the lowest level in 21 months-as employers added 36,000 new workers. The number of persons unemployed fell by 590,000 while 162,000 left the labor force in January.
Employment in the private sector rose by 50,000 in January, while factory payrolls increased 49,000. On the other hand, due to troubling winter weather conditions, employment fell in both the transportation and construction sector.
In Canada, the unemployment rate increased 0.2 percent from 7.6 percent in December to 7.8 percent in January according to Statistics Canada. However, employers added 69,200 new workers in January and the labor force grew by 106,400.