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.
Via release, police say that this is a targeted shooting and appears to be related to the Lower Mainland Gang Conflict and the victim was the target. The victim has been transported to the hospital for treatment.
A bill introduced by the Liberal government to temporarily double the rebate became law last month with unanimous support from opposition parties. The NDP has long advocated for the measure to help low- and modest-income Canadians cope with the rising cost of living.
RCMP were called to the 92nd Avenue and King George Boulevard area in the neighbourhood of Whalley just after 10 p.m. Thursday for a report of a shooting. When officers arrived, they found the injured victim.
The province's online drought map shows most of southern B.C., including east Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver, is now ranked at drought Level 3, which means adverse drought impacts are possible. That's a drop from the most severe Level 5 rating, which covered much of the Island and inner south coast until this week.
It comes two months after Health Canada authorized a bivalent booster from Moderna that targeted the Omicron BA.1 subvariant and the original strain. Health Canada says a bivalent booster triggers "a strong immune response" against both of the more recent Omicron subvariants,as well as the original SARS-CoV-2 virus strains.
Interest rates will still apply on the provincial portion of a student’s loan. While this move is helpful for students graduating, said Rebekah Young, director of fiscal and provincial economics at Scotiabank, it is ultimately relief for interest payments on debt rather than money toward tuition or other post-secondary school expenses.
