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Calgary’s unemployment rate climbed half a per centage point in September, making it the highest in Canada for the third straight month.

According to Statistics Canada’s latest jobless numbers released on Friday, the unemployment rate in the oil and gas hub was 9.5 per cent last month compared with 9.0 per cent in August – the worst among the 33 metropolitan areas surveyed.

READ MORE: Canadian economy smashes expectations, adds over 67,000 new jobs

It’s also the fourth straight month that Calgary’s unemployment numbers have climbed; in July, the city’s rate sat at 8.6 per cent.

The federal agency reported the national unemployment rate was seven per cent in September, the same as the month before.

READ MORE: Alberta unemployment rate now higher than Nova Scotia’s

In Alberta, there were 13,000 new jobs in September. The unemployment rate was little changed at 8.5 per cent, as more people were looking for work.

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