OTTAWA–A surprise surge in hiring helped pull Canada’s unemployment rate down for the first time since January, a signal of resilience despite the stresses and uncertainty brought on by the Trump administration’s hostile approach to global trade.

Canada's unemployment rate fell slightly to 6.9% in June as the wholesale and retail trade sectors as well as manufacturing, healthcare and social assistance all saw surprise job growth, data showed on Friday.

Canada’s jobless rate unexpectedly decreased to 6.9 per-cent in June – the first drop in unemployment since January, driven mostly by growth in part-time work.