Canada jobs growth picks up in August; unemployment at 9-year low

(Adds details from report)

OTTAWA, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The Canadian economy added more jobs than expected in August, sending the unemployment rate to its lowest since the financial crisis, but part-time hiring accounted for all of the gains, data from Statistics Canada showed on Friday.

Job growth picked up to 22,200 positions last month, topping economists' expectations for an increase of 19,000. The unemployment rate dipped to 6.2 percent from 6.3 percent, its lowest since October 2008, while the participation rate held steady.

Average hourly wages were up 1.7 percent from a year earlier, the strongest annual increase since last October. The uptick suggested there might be some improvement in wage growth, which has been muted despite strong gains in the labor market over the last year.

Part-time jobs increased by 110,400, while the economy shed 88,100 full-time positions.

Service sector industries led the way up, with an increase of 14,600 jobs in the finance, insurance and real estate category. Employers also added 9,800 positions in transportation and warehousing, and 8,900 in accommodation and food services.

(Reporting by Leah Schnurr)