The Canadian economy lost 2,200 jobs in June and the unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 5.5 percent as more people sought work, the government statistical agency reported on Friday.

The jobless rate was up 0.1 percentage points from May, as an additional 30,000 people began looking for work, Statistics Canada said. The number of unemployed

rose to 1.1 million people.

Yet Canada's jobless rate remained near its lowest level in more than 40 years.

The number of full-time employees rose, while the number of self-employed or independent workers declined by more than 41,000 from May, the government agency said. Job losses in June were highest in the manufacturing, construction, natural resources, and wholesale and retail trade sectors.