How the employment increase impacted job seekers:
Two-thirds of the employment growth was among men aged 25 and over with minimal change for women. This is the strongest monthly increase for this group since comparable data became available in 1976 however, employment for this group remained 137,000 (-2.2%) below the employment peak of October 2008.

Employment grew by 51,000 in April among men aged 25 to 54, the largest percentage increase in 16 years.  Men aged 55 and over also experienced employment increases in April (+21,000). In contrast to youths and men aged 25 to 54, employment for this group has risen by 98,000 (+6.5%) since October 2008.

Despite gains in recent months, youth employment remained 168,000 (-6.4%) lower than in October 2008. Employment for youths aged 15 to 24 grew by 23,000 in April.

Sectors that increased
The sectors with increased employment activity include retail and wholesale trade; business, building and other support services; construction; and information, culture and recreation. The industries with notable losses in April were manufacturing and agriculture.

It is of note that employment growth has been driven by gains in services, as well as construction and natural resources since July of 2009. Over the same period, employment in manufacturing remained stable.

Since July 2009, growth has been strongest among private sector employees (+2.4%), followed by those in the public sector (+1.9%). The number of self-employed workers declined by 1.2% during the same period.

Robust employment growth in several provinces

Employment grew in all provinces in April, with the largest increases in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba. Compared with a year earlier, average hourly wages were up 2.0% in April, a rate of growth similar to those observed since January 2010.

Ontario increased by 41,000 in April, bringing gains since July 2009 to 109,000 (+1.7%). The unemployment rate was unchanged at 8.8%, as more people participated in the labour market.

Quebec's employment increased by 35,000 and the unemployment rate edged down to 7.9%. Since July 2009, employment in that province has grown by 91,000 (+2.4%).

British Columbia, employment gains of 13,000 in April pushed the unemployment rate down 0.6 percentage points to 7.3%. Since July 2009, employment in the province has risen by 55,000 (+2.4%).

Alberta rose by 10,000 in April, and the unemployment rate edged down to 7.4%. Despite April's gain, Alberta is the only province with no employment growth since July 2009.

Employment also grew in Manitoba in April, up 7,000, pushing the unemployment rate down 0.3 percentage points to 4.9%, the lowest in the country. 

This information was released by Statistics Canada in the Labour Market Survey.

Orinthia Marks, CPRW
Certified Professional Resume Writer
Recruitment Consultant
Member NRWA
Member PARW/CC
T. 905-997-4047
resumes@highpointresumes.wom
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