New Brunswick's economy shed 7,300 full-time jobs in July, pushing the unemployment rate up by nearly a percentage point over the previous month to 8.5 per cent, figures released by Statistics Canada on Friday show.

Overall employment decreased by 4,800 jobs, thanks to gains in part-time employment, according to the monthly labour force survey.

Employment in the province held steady compared to the same time last year.

Across Canada, employment remained relatively unchanged in July for the third consecutive month. The unemployment rate edged up by 0.2 percentage points to 5.7 per cent.

The other provinces that saw decreases in employment included Nova Scotia and Alberta, while Prince Edward Island and Quebec saw increases.