Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey showed modest gains, with July's numbers due out this week.

Statistics Canada's June Labour Force Survey showed employment rose by 18,000 (+0.1%), with the unemployment rate ticking down 0.1 percentage points to 6.5% and the employment rate rising to 60.8%.

Where the gains came from

The report followed a stronger May, when employment jumped 88,000 (+0.4%) and unemployment fell 0.3 points to 6.6%. Construction, information/culture/recreation, and transportation and warehousing led job gains that month, while wholesale and retail trade posted the sharpest declines, shedding 35,000 positions.