Canadian employment remains steady in April with shifts in age and industry

Luke Juricic

Fri, May 9, 2025, 9:18 AM 3 min read

Investing.com -- Statistics Canada’s labour unit survey for April 2025 shows a flimsy summation successful employment by 7,400, with the employment complaint declining by 0.1 percent points to 60.8%. The unemployment complaint saw a emergence of 0.2 percent points, reaching 6.9%.

The information reveals that employment among women aged 25 to 54 years decreased by 60,000, portion it accrued among individuals aged 55 years and older and men aged 25 to 54 years. There was a diminution successful employment successful the manufacturing and wholesale and retail commercialized sectors, portion nationalist medication and finance, insurance, existent estate, rental and leasing sectors experienced an increase.

Provincial employment information shows a diminution successful Ontario and Nova Scotia, portion Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador experienced an increase. The different provinces saw small alteration successful employment.

The full hours worked successful April 2025 saw a 0.4% increase, with a 0.9% summation compared to the aforesaid play successful the erstwhile year. Average hourly wages among employees accrued 3.4% connected a year-over-year ground successful April, to $36.13, pursuing a maturation of 3.6% successful March 2025.

The employment rate, which measures the proportionality of the colonisation aged 15 and older who are employed, fell a further 0.1 percent points successful April. This complaint had been trending down for astir of 2023 and 2024, arsenic colonisation maturation outpaced employment gains. However, the employment complaint had seen an summation for 3 consecutive months from November 2024 to January 2025, owed to beardown employment gains amid slower colonisation growth.

Public assemblage employment accrued by 23,000 successful April, associated with impermanent hiring for the national election. The backstage assemblage and self-employment saw small change.

The unemployment complaint roseate to 6.9% successful April, returning to its level of November 2024, which was the highest since January 2017, excluding the years 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The fig of unemployed individuals accrued by 39,000 successful April and was up by 189,000 connected a year-over-year basis.

The labour unit information complaint accrued by 0.1 percent points to 65.3% successful April, contempt being down 0.4 percent points connected a year-over-year basis.

The unemployment complaint accrued among young men aged 15 to 24 successful April, portion it besides accrued for women aged 25 to 54 years. For men successful the aforesaid property group, the unemployment complaint fell.

Employment successful the manufacturing assemblage fell successful April, with Ontario posting the largest decline. Employment successful wholesale and retail commercialized besides declined, offsetting the beardown summation recorded successful February.