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OTTAWA, March 11 (Reuters) - The Canadian economy
unexpectedly shed jobs last month, pushing the unemployment rate
to a nearly three-year high due mainly to a loss of full-time
positions, data from Statistics Canada showed on Friday.
The labor market lost 2,300 positions in February, falling
short of analysts' expectations for a gain of 9,000 jobs.
That put the unemployment rate at 7.3 percent, its highest
since March 2013. Economists in a Reuters poll had expected it
to hold at 7.2 percent.
The loss of 51,800 full-time positions more than offset a
gain of 49,500 part-time jobs. The participation rate held
steady at 65.9 percent.
The healthcare and social assistance field saw the biggest
losses with a decline of 19,600 jobs, followed by the
educational services sector. The natural resources sector, which
has suffered because of cheaper oil prices, continued to weaken
with a loss 8,900 jobs.
The construction industry added 34,000 new positions,
although that still left the sector little changed from a year
earlier.
The province of Alberta, which has been hurt by layoffs in
the energy sector, added a meager 1,400 jobs, but an increase in
people looking for work sent the unemployment rate up to 7.9
percent there, its highest since August 1995.
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Graphic - Canada jobs, unemployment http://link.reuters.com/fax39t
Graphic - Full-time vs. part-time http://link.reuters.com/pev29v
Graphic - Temporary vs. permanent http://link.reuters.com/xuf98v
Graphic - Canada economic dashboard http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/15/sc-canada/index.html
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