The New Brunswick economy added 2,700 jobs in January, but the unemployment rate jumped to 11.3 per cent, according to Statistics Canada.

The monthly labour force report offered a mixed bag for New Brunswick. The unemployment rate jumped past 11 per cent in January, up from 10.8 per cent in December.

However, the economy added 2,700 jobs last month. The economy added 3,300 part-time jobs, but lost 600 full-time jobs.

New Brunswick's unemployment rate is still well above the national level.

Canada's economy, meanwhile, shed 22,000 jobs but saw the unemployment rate drop to seven per cent in January.

Statistics Canada said the jobless rate ticked 0.1 percentage points lower as 57,500 people stopped looking for jobs — more than enough to offset the decline in the number of jobs.

Moncton boasts lowest unemployment rate

The unemployment rate in New Brunswick's two largest cities was relatively steady in the last month.

In Saint John, the unemployment held firm at 9.9 per cent in January, while in Moncton it moved up slightly to 6.7 per cent last month from 6.6 per cent in December.

The province's sluggish economy becomes evident when comparing January's regional unemployment figures to the same time last year.

The unemployment rate in the Campbellton-Miramichi economic zone was 18.1 per cent in January compared to 15.2 per cent in January 2012.

The jobless rate in Edmundston-Woodstock stood at 11.7 per cent last month compared to 10.2 per cent during the same month a year ago.

The unemployment rate also moved upward in southern New Brunswick. In St. Stephen-Saint John, the unemployment rate increased to 10.7 per cent from 8.2 per cent in January 2012.

Only two of the province's five economic zones still have single-digit unemployment rates.

The Fredericton-Oromocto area had a jobless rate of 9.1 per cent in January, up from 8.4 per cent last year.

The lowest unemployment rate in the province was in Moncton-Richibucto. The January unemployment level was 8.2 per cent, compared to 7.5 per cent last January.