Ottawa---Employment in Canada was flat in February but the unemployment rate still rose 0.2 percentage points to 6.8 percent, reflecting in part the impact of slumping oil prices on the natural resources sector, the government said.
Employment edged up for men 55 or older but there was little change in the situation of other demographic groups, according to Statistics Canada.
Overall, there were fewer people working in manufacturing, natural resources, and information, culture and recreation, but there were gains in construction and educational services.
Quebec province saw an uptick in employment while there was a drop in oil-rich Alberta as well as Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia.
Alberta, which was expecting a hit from a slump in oil prices, has shed 20,000 jobs in its oil sands and other natural resources sectors -- a drop of 11 percent -- since September 2014. Nationally, the sector lost 17,000 jobs in February.
AFP
