Canada added 39,900 jobs in August, double the economic expectations. However, due to an increase of 103,000 people in Canada's population in the same month, the employment rate declined instead of rising.

Additionally, data released by Statistics Canada on Friday (September 8) showed that 61.9% of the working-age population (15-64 years) were employed in August, a decrease of 0.1% from the previous month.

In August, the Canadian labor market added 174,000 new jobs this year, averaging 25,000 jobs per month. However, the number of people over 15 is increasing by 83,000 each month.

From the perspective of various industries, professional, scientific, and technical industries had the largest number of new jobs in August, with an increase of 52,000 jobs. This was followed by the construction sector with an increase of 34,000. Education and manufacturing lost 44,000 and 30,000 jobs respectively.

From a provincial perspective, the largest job gains in August were in Alberta (0.7%), British Columbia (0.4%), and Prince Edward Island (2%).

Economists had predicted an increase of 20,000 jobs for August, with some even forecasting job losses.

The unemployment rate remained stable at 5.5% in August, not continuing the upward trend seen over the previous three months. The unemployment rate calculation does not include those not seeking work for reasons such as school, health, or family circumstances.