OTTAWA, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Canadian unemployment rate declined by 0.2 percentage points to 5.8 percent in July, a four-decade low, according to data released by Statistics Canada Friday.
The country added 82,000 part-time jobs and lost 28,000 full-time jobs last month, posting a net gain of 54,100 positions, Statistics Canada said in its latest labor force survey.
The public sector added 49,600 new jobs while the private sector added 5,200 positions, the data showed.
Average hourly wage growth, which is closely monitored by the Bank of Canada, continued its gradual slide last month to 3.2 percent after expanding 3.6 percent in June and 3.9 percent in May.
The total number of hours worked in July expanded 1.3 percent, a slightly slower pace than the June reading of 1.4 per cent.
Compared with a year earlier, overall employment was up 1.3 percent following the addition of 245,900 jobs for an increase driven by 210,500 new full-time positions.
By industry, the services sector saw the biggest gains last month with a combined net increase of 90,500 jobs, which was led by 36,500 new positions in education and 30,700 in health care and social assistance.
Overall, the goods-producing sector lost 36,500 jobs in July, with a notable loss of 18,400 positions in manufacturing and a drop of 12,300 in construction.
