Canadian unemployment sits at 7 percent

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OTTAWA, March 8 (UPI) -- Canada added 51,000 jobs in February, but the unemployment rate did not budge, holding at 7 percent, Statistics Canada said Friday.

The job gains come on the heels of January when 22,000 jobs were lost.

In the past 12 months, the Canadian economy has added 336,000 jobs, a 1.9 percent gain, "predominantly in full-time work," the monthly report said.

The average number of hours worked in the previous 12 months also rose 1.7 percent, a 0.2 percentage point increase from January.

The data agency said there was little change in the month among workers less than 55 years old or among those who are self-employed.

Most of the new jobs were in service-oriented work, the agency said.