35,800 new jobs in Canada last month

Ottawa: Canada’s economy added 35,800 jobs in August, slightly more than expected, although the pace of job creation was slower than in the first half of the year.

Market operators had predicted a gain of 30,000 jobs in August after a surprise drop of 9,300 positions in July – the first decline of the year.

The August unemployment rate edged up to 8.1% from 8.0% in July as more people entered the labour force, Statistics Canada said.