P.A. unemployment down as Canada adds 32K jobs in March
Canada added 32,000 new jobs in March, outperforming expectations and keeping the national unemployment rate at its record-low 5.8 per cent.
According to Statistics Canada’s monthly data, more than 68,000 full-time positions were added across the nation last month, while part-time employment fell by 35,900. The gains were driven heavily by full-time work, mostly in the construction and public sectors, while private sector employment dipped by 7,000 positions.
Over the past 12 months, employment across the country rose by 296,000 jobs. Over the same period, hours worked ticked up by 2.2 per cent.
Unemployment was largely unchanged in most provinces, though Central Canada saw strong growth. In Quebec employment rose by 16,000 positions during March, while Ontario added 10,000 net positions. British Columbia saw employment remain virtually unchanged.