5,000 more New Brunswickers working in July, statistics show

New Brunswick had 5,000 more people working in July compared to June, representing the largest single-month increase in job growth in the province in more than four years, according to Statistics Canada.

"It's definitely an increase that's statistically significant," said Vincent Ferrao, a labour force survey analyst.

But "we need a few more months to see if there's a trend developing," he said, noting there was a big drop in February of 5,700.

Still, New Brunswick and British Columbia were the only two provinces that recorded significant employment growth in July.

The national economy lost 31,200 jobs, edging the unemployment rate up 0.1 percentage point to 6.9 per cent.

• Canada sheds 31,200 jobs in July, unemployment rate rises to 6.9%

New Brunswick gained 3,800 full-time jobs and 1,200 part-time jobs, pushing the unemployment rate down by 0.6 percentage points to 9.7 per cent, the seasonally adjusted figures show.

Some of the industries that saw the biggest jumps included finance, insurance, real estate and leasing (up 1,400); educational services (up 1,300) and construction (up 1,000), said Ferrao.

Public administration and "other services," which includes personal, household services, repairs, and maintenance, also saw gains, he said.

"Aside from the declines we saw earlier this year, it looks like we've had increases in three of the last four months. July is the biggest one."

"We have to go back to April 2012 to see a larger increase," when the number of people employed rose by 8,400.

Compared to last July, New Brunswick employment is up by 6,700; an increase of 1.9 per cent. By comparison, the national year-over-year average was only up 0.4 per cent.

Government House Leader Rick Doucet is encouraged. "Our government's first priority, and it's a primary focus, is job creation and economic growth. So when we look at the stats, we're certainly pleased."

He also credited the private sector for "stepping up to the plate and … leading the charge."

"But at the same time, we've got to be cautious because this is a snapshot in time, and every month that the stats come out, it's a snapshot in time."

"We really need to be making sure that our economy's diversified; we've got to make sure that all of our cylinders in all of our engines are firing all at once."