Employment rose by 60,000 in June in Canada and the unemployment rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 5.4% as more people searched work, according to Statistics Canada.
Employment gains were concentrated among young men aged 15 to 24 and those aged 25 to 54.
Employment rose mainly in wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, health care and social assistance, and transportation and warehousing. In contrast, employment declines were observed in construction, educational services and agriculture.
In Quebec, Statistics Canada reported an unemployment rate of 4.4%, up 0.4% because more people were looking for work last month. Employment changed little.
The unemployment rate also increased in all three Maritime provinces last month, compared to the previous month. It went from 6.1% to 6.4% in New Brunswick, from 5.7% to 6.4% in Nova Scotia and from 7.2% to 8.2% in Île-du- Prince Edward.
Statistics Canada found that the average hourly wage rose 4.2% in June in Canada compared to a year earlier. It was the weakest 12-month growth in average hourly earnings since May 2022.