Canada's unemployment rate rose to 7% in May just over the previous month, as many young workers entered the job market seeking summer work.
Figures released this morning by Statistics Canada also show nearly 26,000 jobs were created in May, but most of the gains were in part-time work. In the past year, the Canadian economy has cranked out 86,000 jobs, a relatively low number, and most of the work is part-time.
More people were working in educational services, agriculture and accommodation and food services in May, but job growth in the private sector was flat. At the same time, there were fewer people working in natural resources, as well as in finance, insurance, real estate and leasing.
Alberta saw the strongest jobs gains, and unemployment rose in Newfoundland and Labrador, but the rest of the provinces saw little change in their unemployment rates.
One brighter spot in the jobs picture was youth unemployment, which declined to 13.3%. The number of working Canadians aged 15 to 24 increased by 49,000, bringing their employment to a level similar to that of May 2013.
Many university and college students finish their spring term in April and seek out work for the summer.
