(OTTAWA) Canada’s unemployment rate edged up 0.1 last month to 5.5%, the third straight monthly increase not seen since the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19.

In Quebec, Statistics Canada reports that the rate remained stable last month at 4.5%.

The federal agency reports that in July, employment was little changed across the country. It increased in Alberta, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, while it fell in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The other provinces, including Quebec, saw little change.

In terms of employment, there has been a change of trend. It fell slightly by 6,000 in July across Canada, while from January to July, the average monthly increase in employment was 22,000.

Statistics Canada reports that compared to a year earlier, employment in Quebec increased by 100,000, or 2.3%, mainly due to the growth observed during the second half of 2022.

Between last June and July, the unemployment rate fell in New Brunswick, from 6.4% to 6.2%, as well as in Prince Edward Island, from 8.2% to 8 .1%. It increased significantly in Nova Scotia, from 6.4% to 7.7%.

Statistics Canada adds that compared to a year earlier, the average hourly wage rose 5% in July in Canada, after rising 4.2% in June and 5.1% in May.