Source: cbc.ca
StatsCan’s monthly Labour Force Survey shows employment rate steady after 6 months of declines
The Canadian economy gained 90,000 jobs in April, much higher than the average of 20,000 jobs many economists were predicting for the latest Labour Force Survey numbers from Statistics Canada.
The federal agency pinned the increases in employment on part-time work, with more than 50,000 more of those types of positions. There were more jobs in the professional, scientific and technical services industries.
As well, employment for those aged 15 to 24 went up by 40,000 in April, the first monthly increase for that demographic since December 2022.
However, the unemployment rate was unchanged from the month before, staying at 6.1 per cent. This is higher than a year ago.
“Within these numbers is strong employment growth but also still strong population growth,” CIBC senior economist Andrew Grantham told CBC News, explaining why the unemployment rate was stable despite higher job growth.
More people are also actively employed or looking for work in Canada, with April’s 0.1 per cent increase the first since June 2023.
That matches the experience of Dan Hong, owner of Ah-So Fine Foods in Toronto, who told CBC News his company is growing these days — and struggling to hire enough staff.