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.
The victim has been identified as 55-year old Surinderjit Singh of Maple Ridge. Mr. Singh’s death is not believed to be related to the Lower Mainland gang conflict. Initial evidence suggests that Mr. Singh arrived at the location at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Friday.
The city says in a statement that the living wage rate for 2023 would have gone up more than 17 per cent to just above $24 per hour, immediately influencing its pay structure. A statement posted by the group Living Wage for Families calls Vancouver's decision "incredibly disappointing."
The victims were walking on Glen Drive when the suspect males walking behind them shot both their legs with more than a dozen pellets. The victims suffered minor injuries. The suspects fled on foot east-bound on Glen Drive in Coquitlam.
Three men, all in their early 20s, got into a verbal altercation in the west lane of Granville Street at Nelson just before 7:30 p.m. The argument escalated and turned violent, resulting in all three being stabbed. The men were taken to hospital by ambulance and are expected to survive.
Since last March, the central bank has raised its key rate from near-zero to 4.5 per cent, the highest it's been since 2007. The central bank's next rate decision is set for Wednesday.
Trudeau said Friday that the federal government was "working very quickly" with Adastra Labs of Langley, B.C., "to correct the misunderstanding" caused by the company's statement saying it was looking at commercializing cocaine as part of its business model.
