Canada created 10,000 new jobs in May, following gains in March and April. The unemployment rate was steady at 7% for the third consecutive month.

Part-time employment increased by 51,000, while full-time employment fell 41,000.

The average number of hours worked per worker has declined steadily in the first five months of 2001, from 34.5 in January to 33.9 in May. Manufacturing employment edged down by 12,000 in May, bringing losses so far this year to 42,000.

Stocks are facing a mixed open again today. Techs look a little brighter this morning after chip giant Intel Corp. said demand is stabilizing. Intel forecast second-quarter sales at the lower end of its estimates. Some investors expected it to miss its estimates altogether.

It’s not all sweetness and light though. There is bad news for networkers after Juniper Networks Inc. cut its second-quarter forecasts by 30%, and trimmed its workforce by 8%. General economic fears are also hampering the old economy names.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate for housing starts in Canada fell 4.3% in May to 155,000 units compared with 162,000 units in April, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. Urban multiple starts were down 4.4% to an annual rate of 62,600 units compared with 65,500 in April. The Atlantic and Prairie regions were the two areas reporting a decline.

In Europe, stocks are generally looking up today, with techs leading the way. The FTSE has gained just three points to 5,951. The CAC 40 is up 57 points to 5,510. The DAX has gained 49 points to 6,233.