Canada loses 42,000 jobs in May

OTTAWA, June 5 (UPI) -- Canada's month-over-month unemployment rate rose by 0.4 percentage points to 8.4 percent in May, the highest rate in 11 years, Statistics Canada reported.

The province of Ontario experienced a loss of 60,000 jobs, but, offset by gains elsewhere, the national job loss figure was 42,000, StatsCan said.

The agency said since October, 363,000 jobs have been lost in the country.

"While Ontario accounts for 39 percent of (Canada's) total working-age population, it has experienced 64 percent of overall employment losses since the start of the labor market downturn," the report said, adding the leading decliners in the province were manufacturing and construction jobs.

Self-employment fell by 32,000 in May, while the number of private sector employees fell 36,000 in May and public sector employment was up 27,000, the report said.

Regionally, employment increased in Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan, and was little changed in other provinces, the agency said.

May's employment decline followed an increase of 36,000 jobs in April.