Statistics Canada says the total number of jobs in┬аDecember was virtually unchanged for the month as the unemployment┬аrate held steady at 5.8 per cent.
The agency says the economy added a total of 100 jobs for the┬аfinal month of the year.
The result came as the number of full-time jobs fell by 23,500 in┬аDecember, offset by a gain of 23,600 part-time positions in the┬аmonth.
The number of jobs in the professional, scientific and technical┬аservices sector rose by 45,700 in the month, while the number of┬аjobs in health care and social assistance climbed by 15,500.┬а
The wholesale and retail trade sector lost 20,600 jobs in┬аDecember.
Statistics Canada says overall employment growth slowed in the┬аsecond half of 2023, averaging 23,000 per month compared with 48,000┬аper month in the first six months of the year.┬а
Meanwhile, Friday’s report from the U.S. Labor Department noted 216,000 jobs were added last month, exceeding the 173,000 added in November.
The U.S. unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.7 per cent.
