Ontario lost more than 56,000 full-time jobs in June, a figure offset by the gain in more than 57,000 part-time jobs, the latest Statistics Canada labour force survey has found.

Ontario had an unemployment rate of 9.6 per cent in June, up from 9.4 per cent in May.

Nationally, the unemployment rate in June was 8.6 per cent, a rise of 0.2 per cent from May. Economists had expected 35,000 jobs to be shed nationally, but only 7,400 were lost.

However, the loss of full-time jobs -- and their replacement with part-time work -- was a national trend.

"Since (national) employment peaked in October 2008, full-time losses (-454,000) have been only partially offset by part-time gains (+84,000), leaving total employment down by 370,000," Statistics Canada said in its report.

Yves Decady of Statistics Canada told ctvtoronto.ca that Ontario lost 287,000 full-time jobs in that same period while gaining 54,400 part-time ones. That represents a total loss of 232,600 jobs.

Ontario accounts for about 62 per cent of the total job loss but only 39 per cent of Canada's population.

More people are also describing themselves as self-employed, the agency said.

Here are the three-month-moving-average unemployment rates for select Ontario cities. The May number in brackets:

  • Toronto - 9.6 (9.1)
  • Hamilton - 7.1 (7.4)
  • Kitchener - 9.9 (9.9)
  • London - 10.4 (10.2)
  • Oshawa - 8.7 (7.9)
  • St. Catharines-Niagara - 10.9 (10.6)
  • Windsor - 14.4 (13.8)
  • Ottawa - 6.4 (6.1)
  • Kingston - 6.6 (6.5)

With files from The Canadian Press