Employment in Canada was little changed in July as the economy created 6,600 additional jobs, Statistics Canada reported today, roughly in line with economists' expectations.
The unemployment rate remained at 6.8% for the sixth straight month.
The overall growth in jobs was due to the addition of 23,900 part-time jobs. The number of full-time jobs fell by 17,300. Self-employment also grew.
Men aged 25 to 54 were the primary beneficiaries of more work, while the agency said there was little change among other groups.
Employment rose in Quebec and Nova Scotia, but dropped in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Prince Edward Island. Employment was virtually unchanged in Ontario and Alberta, but Alberta saw its jobless rate climb three 10ths of a percentage point to 6% as more people entered the labour force looking for work.
Saskatchewan, despite seeing its jobless rate rise by half a percentage point from June, still enjoys the lowest jobless rate in the country, at 5.2%. Newfoundland and Labrador's unemployment rate remains the highest, at 11.9%.
Nationally, Statistics Canada said the economy churned out 161,400 jobs in the last 12 months.
