Employment was little changed in March (-2,200; -0.0%) and the employment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 61.4%.
The unemployment rate rose 0.3 percentage points to 6.1% in March. On a year-over-year basis, the unemployment rate was up by 1.0 percentage points.
In March, employment declined among youth aged 15 to 24 (-28,000; -1.0%), while it rose among core-aged men (aged 25 to 54) (+20,000; +0.3%). Employment was little changed among core-aged women, as well as among women and men aged 55 and older.
There were fewer people employed in accommodation and food services (-27,000; -2.4%), wholesale and retail trade (-23,000; -0.8%) and professional, scientific and technical services (-20,000; -1.0%) in March. Employment increased in four industries, led by health care and social assistance (+40,000; +1.5%).
Employment decreased in Quebec (-18,000; -0.4%), Saskatchewan (-6,000; -1.0%) and Manitoba (-4,300; -0.6%) in March, while it increased in Ontario (+26,000; +0.3%).
Total hours worked in March were virtually unchanged in the month but were up 0.7% compared with 12 months earlier.
Average hourly wages among employees rose 5.1% (+$1.69 to $34.81) on a year-over-year basis in March, following growth of 5.0% in February (not seasonally adjusted).
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).