The Canadian economy created 17,900 jobs last month, less than expected, as gains in part-time jobs outweighed full-time losses.

The country's jobless rate stayed at 8.2 per cent in March as more people entered the labour market in search of work, Statistics Canada said Friday.

The job gains, though muted, highlight slow but steady improvements in the labour market. Employers have now added to payrolls in the past six of eight months and the first quarter of this year was the strongest in two years. March's employment gains brings the total increase to 176,000 since July.

The latest numbers “are still not indicative of a booming job market, but are consistent with a steadily recovering labour picture,” said Meny Grauman, economist at CIBC World Markets. “The full-time/part-time mix was disappointing.”

Full Globe and Mail article.