There were 600 fewer people working in southeast Saskatchewan in October, according to the latest employment figures released by Statistics Canada. Despite the reduction in the number of people working, the monthly Labour Force Survey, which came out Friday, shows in October the unemployment rate for the southeast was 4.3 percent, down from 4.5 percent in September.

The numbers, unadjusted for seasonality, show while there was a reduction of 600 people working, there was also a drop of 700 people who were actively engaged in the labour force. The labour force is comprised of those who are currently employed, or who are actively looking for work, ages 15 and over.

Provincially, the unemployment rate declined to 6.2 percent as there was a net increase of 2500 jobs. Year-over-year, the province saw an increase of 9600 jobs. The national unemployment rate for October was 5.8 percent, down from 5.9 percent in September thanks to an increase of 11,200 jobs.