Statistics Canada says the country’s economy lost 41,000 jobs in July.

But the unemployment rate remained at 6.9 per cent, with fewer people looking for work.

The employment decline was concentrated among youth aged 15 to 24, with a drop of 34,000.

StatCan said the youth employment rate has fallen to 53.6 per cent — its lowest level outside of the pandemic since November 1998.

There were few changes to employment among those aged 25 and older, according to the monthly report.

Employment was down across several industries, led by information, culture and recreation, as well as construction.

Average hourly wages among employees increased 3.3 per cent, or $1.17, to $36.16, following growth of 3.2 per cent in June.

A look at some of the provincial numbers

New Brunswick gained 6,000 part-time positions but lost 5,100 full-time jobs for a net increase of 900

However, the unemployment rate climbed 0.2 percentage points to 7.5 per cent as more people were looking for work.

It was a similar story in Nova Scotia, where the unemployment rate climbed 0.3 percentage points to seven per cent.

That is despite the province adding 1,800 jobs — 1,600 full-time and 200 part-time positions.

Prince Edward Island gained 900 jobs, but similar to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, the unemployment rate jumped to 8.8 per cent from 8.6 per cent.

In Ontario, the province gained 21,200 full-time positions but lost 24,000 part-time jobs for a net decrease of 2,800.

As a result, the unemployment rate ticked up 0.1 percentage points to 7.9 per cent.

Statistics Canada defines the labour force as everyone aged 15 or older who has a job or is actively looking for one.

The full report can be found on Statistics Canada’s website.