Canada’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.1% in April as the economy added 90,000 net new jobs during the month.
Statistics Canada reported that the unemployment rate was also unchanged at 61.4% in April following six consecutive months of decline.
During April, employment rose among men aged 25 to 54 (up 41,000) and women in the same demographic (up 27,000), as well as for male youth aged 15 to 24 (up 39,000).
Employment gains were driven almost entirely by a rise in part-time jobs (up 50,000 positions).
Employment increases were seen in professional, scientific, and technical services (up 26,000), accommodation and food services (up 24,000), and healthcare and social assistance (up 17,000). Employment in utilities fell by 5,000 positions in April.
Among Canada’s provinces, employment increased in Ontario (up 25,000), British Columbia (up 23,000) and Quebec (up 19,000). Job gains were largely unchanged in other provinces.
Total hours worked by Canadians during April rose 0.8% and were up 1.2% compared with a year earlier.
Average hourly wages among employees increased 4.7% to $34.95 on an annual basis in April. However, that was a slowdown from growth of 5.1% observed in March of this year.
