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 filing deadline of April 30 falls on a Sunday this year, so Canadians have until May 1 to finish filing their taxes. But a looming strike for CRA workers may be on the horizon. In the fall, the CRA said about $1.4 billion in uncashed checks was sitting in its coffers.
Extreme cold or Arctic outflow warnings are posted for the central and north coasts, Chilcotin and Peace River areas and the southeastern corner of B.C. Metro Vancouver and the south coast could expect snow this weekend, as models show five to 10 centimetres possible over Metro Vancouver by Sunday.
The victim, a 15-year-old male youth, ran into a business in the 4500-block of Central Boulevard and told staff that he had been stabbed by an unknown male. Attending officers secured the scene and conducted patrols for the suspect.
Patrol officers and the Youth Support Team worked diligently to identify the suspects, all three of whom are youths. The youths have cooperated with the investigation and have taken responsibility for their actions.
Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke tabled the city's draft five-year budget last week forecasting a 17.5 per cent property tax increase for this year, with 9.5 per cent of that being costs towards the police transition.
