The unemployment rate held steady in April at 8% as overall employment grew by a surprising 35,900, Statistics Canada said Friday.

The rise in the number of people working was the result of an increase in self-employment, the federal government agency said.

Economists had expected the jobless rate to rise to 8.3%, with job losses forecast to come in at 50,000.

Self-employment rose by 37,000 in April, while there was little in public- and private-sector employment.

StatsCan said about 39,400 full-time jobs were added last month, while about 3,600 part-time jobs were lost. That is a reversal from past months, when full-time jobs were lost while there was some growth in part-time work.

The information, culture and recreation sector added 17,000 jobs, while 15,000 jobs were added in the building and business support services sector. The agriculture sector added about 9,000 jobs. Employment in the construction and manufacturing sectors remained flat.

Statistics Canada said that all the employment growth in April occurred in Quebec, where 22,000 jobs were added, and in British Columbia, which added 17,000 jobs. Employment declined in Nova Scotia by 4,100, and by 2,800 in Newfoundland and Labrador. The other provinces saw little change.

“Despite this increase, overall employment has fallen by 321,000 since the peak in October 2008,” StatsCan said.

IE