OTTAWA (AFP) - Following large gains at the start of the year, employment in Canada edged up only slightly last month, adding 19,000 new jobs, Statistics Canada said Friday.

But the unemployment rate also nudged up to 6.1 percent in April as more people entered the labor force, said the government agency.

Job creation last month topped analysts' expectations, but was down from the more than 40,000 new jobs in January.

The employment rate, the share of the working-age population who are employed, also continued to hover around a record high in April.

Employment increased in accommodation and food services, as well as construction, while manufacturing continued its decline, with losses in Ontario and British Columbia provinces.

Small employment increases were noted across most of the country. Manitoba was the only province with strong growth in April.

French-speaking Quebec, on the other hand, was the only province to experience a loss for the month.

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