Canadian employers generated a better-than-expected 23,300 new jobs in August amid strong employment growth in education and construction, Statistics Canada reported today.

Analysts had been expecting the economy would add 18,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate stayed at a 33-year low of 6% as more people entered the labour force looking for work.

It was a different story south of the border where U.S. employment fell for the first time in four years in August on steep drops in construction and manufacturing payrolls.

Back in Canada, almost 33,000 jobs were added in the education field in August, reversing July’s decline.

The construction industry continued to hire, with 15,500 payroll additions. Since the start of the year, 63,000 more people have found work in construction, StatsCan said.

Transportation and warehousing, however, lost 31,000 jobs.

Employment was booming for older workers, with 34,000 people aged 55 and older finding work in August.

StatsCan said students had their best summer job market since 1991, with the average unemployment rate among the 15-to-24 set during the May-to-August period at 12.9%.

The strong job market is also creating wage growth that is much higher than the 2.2% inflation rate.

Statistics Canada said the average hourly wage in August was 4% higher than a year earlier.

Ontario led all provinces with 9,300 new jobs, followed closely by British Columbia’s addition of 8,300 jobs.

Alberta again had the lowest unemployment rate at 3.5%. But that was up two-10ths of a percentage point from July as the province actually lost 200 jobs and its labour force grew by 3,800.

U.S. economy sheds jobs

Nonfarm payrolls fell 4,000 in August, the first decline since August 2003, the U.S. Labour Department said Friday.

Previous reports were revised sharply lower. July job growth was revised down to 68,000 from 92,000. June gains were revised to 69,000 from 126,000. The 44,000 monthly average job gain for the past three months is down sharply from the 147,000 average between January and May.

The U.S.unemployment rate, however, was unchanged last month at 4.6%.