OTTAWA - Canada’s labour market caught economists off guard with a second straight month of surprise job gains in October.

Statistics Canada said Friday the economy added 67,000 jobs in October, good enough to drive the unemployment rate down two tenths of a percentage point to 6.9 per cent.

October’s growth was driven by part-time work with 85,000 positions added, coming off solid gains in full-time work in September. The private sector meanwhile added 73,000 jobs for its first gain since June.

Economists polled by Reuters ahead of Friday’s release expected Canada’s labour market would take a breather with a loss of 2,500 jobs in October, following a surprise gain of 60,000 positions in September.

Job gains across October and September now more than offset sharp drops observed in Augu

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