Statistics Canada says about 1.8 million Canadians were unemployed in September but the jobless rate actually dropped to 9 percent.
The federal agency says that brings employment to within 720,000 of its pre-COVID level in February.
Most of the 378,000 jobs added last month were full-time, mainly in the accommodations and food services sectors.
New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island were the only provinces which saw a drop in employment.
As a result, the provincial jobless rate climbed to 10.4 percent in September.
The rate in Moncton held steady at 7.1 percent last month with a small increase in Saint John at 10.1 percent.