The Financial Post reports in its Saturday, Oct. 12, edition that September jobs data exceeded expectations, with the economy creating nearly double the number of positions forecasted by economists. The Post's Gigi Suhanic writes that this pushed the unemployment rate down to 6.5 per cent from 6.6 per cent. Economists are closely monitoring these job numbers to help the Bank of Canada determine whether to implement a 50 basis point interest rate cut at its upcoming meeting on Oct. 23. CIBC economist Katherine Judge says, "The Canadian labour market sent mixed signals in September, as a strong 47,000 jobs were added, above the 27,000 expected, but the headline masked some weaker details." Among the "weaker details," the number of hours worked fell 0.4 per cent from August, while the employment and participation rates pulled back as well. Ms. Judge says the drop in the participation rate was a sign that workers are becoming "increasingly discouraged" in their search for a job. She says: "Overall, the mixed report isn't enough to make a 50 basis point cut a sure thing in October. The CPI (consumer price index) report next week could still make that outcome possible, if they (the numbers) look soft enough."