Whether unemployment in the Kootenays was up or down in September depends on your lens.
Statistics Canada says the jobless rate in our area stood at 6.1 per cent last month, which was down from 6.5 per cent at the same time last year. However, it was up 5.1 per cent in August.
The agency says the number of people working dropped year-over-year from 79,500 to 79,100 while the number looking for work also declined, from 5,500 to 5,100. The population grew from 139,000 to 141,000 in that time.
Nationally the unemployment rate fell to 5.2 per cent in September, down from 5.4 per cent in August. The gain in employment was expected as job losses in the education sector during the summer were reversed with the reopening of schools.