In April, employment surged by 90,000, marking a notable increase of 0.4%, while the unemployment rate held firm at 6.1% according to Statistics Canada. This stability in the employment rate, standing at 61.4%, is a welcome contrast to six consecutive months of decline.
Core-aged men (25 to 54 years old) experienced a significant uptick in employment by 41,000, translating to a 0.6% increase. Similarly, women in the same age bracket saw employment rise by 27,000, a 0.4% boost. Meanwhile, male youth aged 15 to 24 saw a substantial increase of 39,000 in employment, representing a robust growth of 2.8%. However, there was a decline in employment among women aged 55 and older, with a reduction of 16,000 jobs, or 0.8%. Employment levels remained relatively steady among men aged 55 and older and female youth (aged 15 to 24).
The upswing in employment for April was predominantly fueled by part-time positions, with an increase of 50,000, or 1.4%.
Across various sectors, notable increases in employment were observed in professional, scientific, and technical services (up 26,000 or 1.3%), accommodation and food services (up 24,000 or 2.2%), health care and social assistance (up 17,000 or 0.6%), and natural resources (up 7,700 or 2.3%). Conversely, there was a decline in employment in utilities, with a reduction of 5,000 jobs, or 3.1%.
Geographically, Ontario saw an increase of 25,000 jobs (0.3%), British Columbia saw a rise of 23,000 jobs (0.8%), Quebec experienced an uptick of 19,000 jobs (0.4%), and New Brunswick saw a notable increase of 7,800 jobs (2.0%) in April. Employment levels remained relatively unchanged in the other provinces.
Total hours worked increased by 0.8% in April, marking a 1.2% increase compared to the same period twelve months prior.
Average hourly wages among employees saw a year-over-year increase of 4.7%, amounting to a rise of $1.57 to $34.95 in April. This growth follows a 5.1% increase in March (not seasonally adjusted).