Statistics Canada reports statistics on employment and earnings that are used as key indicators by many economists to gauge the health of the economy. Figure 6-4 plots historical data on the unemployment rate each month. Noticeably, the numbers were high during the recession in the early 1990s, with the slowdown that followed the bursting of the dot-com bubble and September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001, and in the aftermath of the Great Recession, 2008–2009.

a. Locate the latest data on the national unemployment rate. Go to Statistics Canada at http://www.statcan.gc.ca/eng/start, on the home page look for the “Key Indicators” section and follow the “Unemployment” link to the subsequent page.

b. Compare the current numbers with those during the early 1990s, 2001, and during 2008–2009, as well as with the periods of relatively high economic growth just before the recessions. Are the current numbers indicative of a recessionary trend?