Canadian unemployment dipped in July

Ottawa -- Unemployment in Canada dipped 0.1 percent in July to 6.1 percent from a month earlier, although the labor force also shrank, Statistics Canada reported Friday.

The agency said some 55,000 workers, particularly youth in the province of Ontario, left the workforce in July, but didn't elaborate on the shift.

National employment gains have averaged 10,000 per month in 2008 compared with an average monthly gain of 30,000 for 2007, and the annual employment gain stands at 1.3 percent, or 227,000 new jobs, the report said.

The manufacturing, business, building/support services and educational services sectors all posted employment declines, while gains were seen in accommodation and food services, StatsCan said.

In recent months, the fastest growth rate was for workers aged 55 and older, whose employment grew by 7 percent. Employment for "core-aged" workers, 25 to 54, rose 0.5 percent over the same period, the report said.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.