Canada’s unemployment rate ticked up to 6.9 per cent in April, Statistics Canada said on Friday, matching the highest rate in eight years outside of the pandemic.
The economy added a very slight 7,400 jobs during the month. Most of the increase was due to temporary workers hired in the public sector to work on the federal election, and but there were also job gains in finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing.
Those numbers were offset by lower employment in the manufacturing sector, which lost 31,000 jobs, and the wholesale and retail trade sector, which lost 27,000.
Average hourly wages increased 3.4 per cent in April (or $1.20, to $36.13) compared to the same period a year earlier. They grew 3.6 per cent in March.
Those who were unemployed had a harder time finding work in April than they did a year earlier, StatsCan noted.
“The share of workers being laid off may increase during periods of economic downturn or disruption. Among those who were employed in March 2025, 0.7 [per cent] had become unemployed in April due to a layoff,” it said.
More young men were searching for work in April, which sent the unemployment rate for that age group (15-24) up slightly.
More to come.
