Employment in Canada increased by 90,000 in April, with steady growth in part-time jobs and key industries
In April, Canada saw a rise in employment by 90,000 (+0.4 percent), while the unemployment rate remained steady at 6.1 percent.
According to Statistics Canada, the employment rate also held constant at 61.4 percent, despite previous monthly declines.
Significant employment increases were observed among core-aged men (25 to 54 years) with a rise of 41,000 (+0.6 percent), and core-aged women, who saw an increase of 27,000 (+0.4 percent).
Additionally, male youth aged 15 to 24 experienced a notable rise in employment by 39,000 (+2.8 percent).
However, there was a decrease in employment for women aged 55 and older by 16,000 (-0.8 percent), while employment levels for men of the same age group and female youth showed little change.
The boost in employment was largely attributed to part-time positions, which increased by 50,000 (+1.4 percent).
Employment grew across several sectors, including professional, scientific, and technical services (+26,000; +1.3 percent), accommodation and food services (+24,000; +2.2 percent), health care and social assistance (+17,000; +0.6 percent), and natural resources (+7,700; +2.3 percent).
Conversely, employment in utilities saw a decline of 5,000 (-3.1 percent).
Provincially, employment rose in Ontario (+25,000; +0.3 percent), British Columbia (+23,000; +0.8 percent), Quebec (+19,000; +0.4 percent), and New Brunswick (+7,800; +2.0 percent), with little change observed in other provinces.
Total hours worked in April increased by 0.8 percent and were up 1.2 percent compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, average hourly wages among employees grew by 4.7 percent year-over-year to $34.95, following a 5.1 percent increase in March.
The spotlight also highlighted the challenges faced by over a quarter of workers (28.4 percent), who are required to report to work or connect to work devices at short notice several times a month, emphasizing the ongoing issues in work-life balance and scheduling within the Canadian labour market.
