Canada's unemployment rate surprisingly dropped a tick to 6.9% in June as employment increased in wholesale and retail trade and health care and social assistance, data showed on Friday. The economy added 83,

B.C.'s unemployment rate for June is down 0.8 percentage points compared to May, settling at 5.6 per cent. The employment rate increased 0.1 percentage points to 61.4 per cent. The difference is likely due to demographic shifts in the job market, such as people retiring and leaving the workforce.

The US job market continues to chug along despite heightened uncertainty about the economy and how President Donald Trump’s tariffs could shake out.