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Canada adds 67,000 jobs last month, but gains in natural resources sector fall slightly; unemployment rate goes up

Last updated: 01:00 09 Feb 2019 AEDT, First published: 19:49 08 Feb 2019 AEDT

Mining truck
In the natural resources sector the number of jobs dropped 1.3% compared to December at 339,500 jobs

The latest Canada jobs report showed the number of people in a job increasing 67,000 during the month, though the number of people engaged in the natural resources sector fell slightly compared to the previous month.

Total employment in Canada came in at around 18.8 million, up 327,000 or 1.8% compared to the same time last year.

But the unemployment rate was up two percentage points at 5.8%.

Ontario and Quebec lead gains

Employment rose in the six Canadian provinces, led by Ontario and Quebec.

But employment declined in Alberta and Saskatchewan, while it was little changed in British Columbia and Prince Edward Island.

Overall employment gains were entirely driven by private sector employees, and the service sector drove growth, led by wholesale and retail trade, professional, scientific and technical services, along with public administration.

In the natural resources, or mining sector, the number of jobs fell 1.3% compared with December at 339,500 jobs but compared with January last year, the figure was up 2.2%.

The report showed that the services sector saw a gain of 99,200 new roles, led by new work in wholesale and retail trade, while the goods-producing industries experienced a net loss of 32,300 jobs.

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