Canada's unemployment rate rose to 5.8 percent from 5.6 percent in December despite adding 66,800 new jobs in January, according to the results of a survey released by Statistics Canada Friday.

The rise in the unemployment rate was attributable to an expansion in the labor force with more people seeking jobs.

The addition of 66,800 jobs came largely from the private sector, which saw a rise in the number of employee positions by 111,500 in January, the biggest monthly increase since 1976.