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Canada loses 19,700 jobs in April

May 08, 2015

Employment in Canada fell by 19,700 in April from March, as gains in full-time work were more than offset by losses in part-time employment, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by Statistics Canada. The number of full-time jobs rose by 46,900 while part-time jobs fell by 66,500.

Total employment in Canada was approximately 17.9 million in April, and the Canadian unemployment rate remained at 6.8% for the third consecutive month.

Fewer people worked in construction, retail and wholesale trade, as well as in information, culture and recreation in April. However, employment increased in business, building and other support services as well as in manufacturing. Public sector employment declined and the number of self-employed workers edged down, but there was little change in the number of private sector employees.

By province, employment fell in British Columbia and Nova Scotia, but rose in Quebec and Alberta. Ontario gained 30,300 full-time jobs but lost 44,400 part-time jobs during the month. Ontario’s unemployment rate edged down to 6.8% in April from 6.9% in March.

Saskatchewan posted the lowest unemployment rate among all provinces in April, at 4.3%; Newfoundland and Labrador reported the highest at 12.6%.