OTTAWA—Statistics Canada says the average number of job vacancies was up in the three-month period ending in May.

The agency reports an average of 258,000 job vacancies over that period, an increase of 22,000 from the same period in 2011.

For every job vacancy, there were 5.5 unemployed people—down from 6.3 in May 2011.

Statistics Canada says the dro in the unemployment-to-job vacancies ratio resulted from more job vacancies and less unemployed people.

The agency says the national job vacancy rate was 1.8 per cent over the three-month period ending in May.

Thats up from 1.7 per cent a year earlier.