Canada gains 40,000 jobs, unemployment rate falls to 5.1%

The economy gains 40,000 jobs as the labour market continues to tighten

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OTTAWA — The economy added 40,000 jobs in May, driven by a gain in full-time jobs as the labour market continued to tighten, Statistics Canada said Friday.

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The increase came as the unemployment rate fell to 5.1 per cent, the lowest rate since at least 1976 which is as far back as comparable data goes. The unemployment rate was 5.2 per cent in April.

The overall gain in jobs came as the number of full-time jobs climbed by 135,000, but part-time employment fell by 96,000.

The services sector saw a gain of 81,000 jobs as accommodation and food services added 20,000 positions.

The number of professional, scientific and technical services jobs grew by 21,000, while educational services gained 24,000 positions and retail trade added 34,000 jobs in the month.

Transportation and warehousing lost 25,000 jobs, while the number of finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing jobs fell by 19,000.