Employment in Canada rose by 35,400 jobs in January from December, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by Statistics Canada. The gains were all in part-time jobs, which rose by 47,200. The number of full-time jobs fell by 11,800.

Total employment in Canada was approximately 17.9 million in January, and the Canadian unemployment rate edged down to 6.6% from December’s reading of 6.7%.

There were more people working in professional, scientific and technical services in January, while employment declined in natural resources. The number of self-employed workers increased in January, and there was little change in the number of private and public sector employees.

By province, Ontario added 1,300 in January for total employment of about 6.9 million. Ontario lost 23,200 full-time jobs but gained 24,400 part-time jobs during the month. Ontario’s unemployment slipped to 6.9% in January from 7.0% in December.

Saskatchewan and Albert posted the lowest unemployment rates among all provinces in January, both at 4.5%; Newfoundland and Labrador reported the highest at 11.4%.