The unemployment rate edged up 0.1%age points to 6.8% in July as job growth went soft, Statistics Canada said Friday.

Employment growth was 5,900 in July following an increase of 79,000 during the previous three months, the government agency said.

The July employment picture was below the expectations of some economists, who had been forecasting job gains of between 20,000 and 25,000 for the month.

The unemployment rate among adult men increased by 0.2 percentage points to 5.7% in July as more entered the labour market to look for work while for adult women the rate edged down 0.1 percentage points to 5.5%.

Employment in the country’s retail sector grew by 24,000 because of increased consumer spending and sales by wholesalers. The health-care and social assistance sector added 18,000 positions, while the information, culture and recreation sector gained 16,000 jobs in July, mainly on growth in telecommunications and broadcasting.

The manufacturing sector continued to be weak last month. Employment there fell by 26,000, mainly due to job losses in Quebec and Ontario. Compared to a year ago, employment in this sector is down 106,000, or 4.6%.

Employment fell by 21,000 in both the construction sector and in the professional, scientific and technical services sector.