Canada’s economy added 81,100 jobs in August, though the unemployment rate remained flat at 5.7 per cent as more Canadians entered the job market, according to new figures from Statistics Canada.

The federal agency’s monthly labour survey says most of the job gains came in Ontario and Quebec, and were largely for part-time work. There were also smaller increases seen in Manitoba, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.

As a result of the uptick, the number of private-sector workers grew in August by 94,000, “more than offsetting” the decline seen in July, while the number of public-sector employees and self-employed workers “held steady,” according to StatsCan.

Today’s announcement comes mere months after Canada posted the largest one-month employment gain on record in April, according to numbers from the agency, adding 107,000 net jobs. It also comes only days before the start of the campaign for the Oct. 21 federal election.

StatsCan reported that Canada lost 24,200 jobs in July.

READ MORE: Canada sets record with largest one-month employment gain

By province, Ontario saw the biggest employment gains in August, picking up 58,000 jobs, all in part-time work, led primarily by the wholesale and retail trade field. There were 20,000 new jobs added in Quebec last month, spread out across a range of fields, primarily finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing. Quebec’s unemployment rate now rests at 4.7 per cent, the lowest of all provinces in August and the lowest level seen in the province since comparable data became available in 1976, StatsCan says.

Manitoba picked up 5,200 new jobs in August, while Saskatchewan added 2,800 new jobs, and New Brunswick’s employed workforce spiked by 2,300.

StatsCan says employment numbers were “little changed” in the other provinces, though the unemployment rate rose by six-tenths of a percentage point in B.C. (bringing it to 5 per cent) and by half a percentage point in Nova Scotia (up to 7.9 per cent), as “more people searched for work in each province.”

By industry, employment increased by 22,000 last month in finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing, with the uptick attributed to gains in Ontario and Quebec.

There were also 21,000 more people working in educational services in August, largely in Quebec, while employment increased by 17,000 in professional, scientific and technical services in August, with B.C. “accounting for a large part of the increase,” according to StatsCan. This industry saw employment rise year-over-year by 7.4 per cent (or 109,000 jobs), which the agency said was “the fastest rate of growth among all major industrial sectors.”

Business, building and other support services was the lone industry with fewer people employed in August, dropping by 22,000, which StatsCan says was “mostly the result of declines” in Ontario and B.C.

The positive job numbers come despite heightened global trade tensions and fears of an impending economic slowdown.

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