Canada's employment continues upward trend in March
Darpan News Desk IANS, 06 Apr, 2023 03:40 PM
Canada's employment grew by 35,000, or 0.2 per cent, in March, following little change in February and strong growth in January and December, Statistics Canada said.
Employment has generally trended up since September 2022. Over that period, the number of people employed has increased by 383,000, or 1.9 per cent, the national statistical agency added on Thursday.
Employment gains in March were concentrated among private sector employees and there was little change in the number of public sector employees and self-employed workers, the agency said.
According to the agency, for the fourth consecutive month, the unemployment rate was five per cent in March, just above the record low of 4.9 per cent observed in June and July of 2022, Xinhua news agency reported.
Total hours worked rose 0.4 per cent in March and were up 1.6 per cent on a year-over-year basis, the agency said.
Average hourly wages rose 5.3 per cent to 33.12 Canadian dollars ($24.5) on a year-over-year basis in March, compared with 5.4 per cent in February, Statistics Canada added.
In that scenario, the Canadian economy would contract by 0.3 per cent in 2023 and grow by 1.3 per cent in 2024. The PBO says this analysis represents only one of many possible scenarios that could play out in the Canadian economy.
The data showed a large reduction in the backlog of temporary residence applications while the permanent residence backlog registered a slight increase. The permanent residence inventory stood at 506,421 people as of November 3, compared to 505,562 as of October 3.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Thursday in a virtual update that the triple threat of all three viruses is posing a challenge for the health system in several parts of the country and points to the need for "stepped up precautions."
Robert Leeming, who is 37, pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Jasmine Lovett, but not guilty in the death of 22-month-old Aliyah Sanderson. He was convicted earlier this year of second-degree murder in the child's death.
The federal government provided the fund last December, just weeks after an intense rainstorm washed away highways, swelled area rivers and overwhelmed dikes in the low-lying Fraser Valley, inundating key agricultural land around Abbotsford.
"We will challenge China when we ought to, and we will co-operate with China when we must," Joly said in a Wednesday morning speech, adding that Canada will seek deeper ties with more democratic, reliable countries such as India.
