Statistics Canada is set to release March employment data this morning. A worker sits in an office in the financial district, in London, Monday, Dec. 13, 2021.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Alberto Pezzali
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says the economy added 35,000 jobs last month, while the unemployment rate held steady at five per cent.
The federal agency says the job gains were made primarily in the private sector, with employment up in transportation and warehousing, business, building and other support services, as well as finance, real estate, rental and leasing.
Meanwhile, jobs were lost in construction, other services and natural resources.
As employers kept their hiring appetite, wages continued to grow in March, with average hourly wages up 5.3 per cent on an annual basis.
The Canadian labour market has been tight for months, despite high interest rates and an economy expected to slow this year.
March marking the fourth consecutive month the unemployment rate has held at five per cent, hovering near its record low.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 6, 2023.
