Canada lost 40,000 jobs and the unemployment rate increased 0.5 percentage points to 5.4 per cent, Statistics Canada reported, with most of the losses recorded in the public sector. It’s the first time since May 2020 that an increase in unemployment hasn’t coincided with new government-imposed measures meant to fight COVID-19. (The Logic)

Talking point: Hourly wages in August were 5.4 per cent higher than a year ago, StatCan also reported, so workers continued to lose purchasing power: The inflation reading for August is due Sept. 20, but the annual inflation rate was 8.1 per cent in June and 7.6 per cent in July. Between that and the slackening in the labour market, economic conditions are continuing to take a toll on workers. Nevertheless, StatCan noted a near-doubling in the proportion of workers planning to leave their jobs in the next year, from 6.4 per cent in January to 11.9 per cent in August, with the lowest-paid workers most likely to bail out.