Employment in Canada rose by approximately 66,800 in January from December with Ontario leading growth and the number of private-sector workers jumping, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by Statistics Canada. Total employment was almost 18.9 million.

The number of private-sector employees jumped by approximately 111,500, and the number of public-sector employees rose by 15,900. However, the number of self-employed fell by 66,700.

In terms of part-time vs. full-time, Canada added approximately 36,000 part-time jobs and 30,900 full-time jobs during January.

The goods-producing sector saw employment decline by 32,300 jobs in January. The services-producing sector, on the other hand, saw employment increase by 99,200 with an increase of 28,500 in the “professional, scientific and technical services” industry and an increase of 33,900 in “wholesale and retail trade.”

Canada’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 5.8% in January from 5.6% in December. Adjusted to US concepts, Canada’s unemployment rate was 4.8% in January compared with 4.0% in the US.

Ontario added 41,400 jobs in January with full-time employment rising by approximately 34,000 and part-time employment rising by approximately 7,300. However, Ontario’s unemployment rate edged up to 5.7% in January from 5.4% in December.