Hiring picked up in Canada in September after a slight contraction in August — but B.C. is lagging and the provincial unemployment rate is rising.

"We still have one of the lowest unemployment rates amongst the major provinces," Jobs and Economic Development Minister Ravi Kahlon said. "But we also have had headwinds."

Looming in the background are added concerns that the public service strike could have knock-on effects for the broader economy.

"It can have impacts on people's employment and their communities," Kahlon said.

The latest Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada, released on Friday, Oct. 10, shows job gains for Canada as a whole in September, but these are unevenly distributed.

A big rebound was seen in Alberta, which shed 14,000 jobs in August but added 43,000 in Sept

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