Canada unemployment falls to 7.0pc in July

OTTAWA, Aug 17  : Canada added 42,000 jobs in July, pushing the unemployment rate down a notch to 7.0 per cent, according to revised numbers released by the government statistical agency Friday. The figure is a big jump from the 200 jobs that Statistics Canada reported in error last week and twice what analysts had forecast. The agency said it is investigating a breakdown in its internal checks. "Details within the report were not quite as strong," commented CIBC World Markets economist Avery Shenfeld. But it is "still better news than what we had before." More Canadians 54 years old or under were employed in July, said Statistics Canada. Employment in educational services and in information, culture and recreation was up in the month. At the same time, employment declined in construction as well as health care and social assistance. Private sector employment also increased in July, while the number of self-employed declined.
     —AFP