(file photo/The Canadian Press)

By Tyler Marr

HELP NO LONGER WANTED

Nation posts strongest job gains since 1976, little change regionally

May 10, 2019 | 1:37 PM

A welcome surprise came in Canada’s latest job numbers, with the nation posting the strongest surge in employment since the government started tracking the data in 1976.

The monthly labour force survey from Statistics Canada showed net employment rose by nearly 107,000 in April across several sectors, led by a jump in full-time work and part-time employment for those under 25. The national unemployment rate dipped to 5.7 per cent, despite a two tick rise in the participation rate.

Employment rose in both the private and public sector, though the private sector lead the gains by a wide margin. Compared to 12 months earlier, the number of private sector employees is up by 355,000 positions or 3 per cent.

The overall gain in April work came through the creation of 73,000 full-time and 33,600 part-time positions.

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Among youth aged 15 to 24, employment rocketed up by 47,000 positions, fuelled largely by part-time employment, squashing the youth unemployment rate to its lowest level since 1976, too.

Economists expected a more modest gain of 10,000 jobs for the month and the unemployment rate to remain at 5.8 per cent, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon.

“So much for the soft Canadian economy, or so it seems,” CIBC Chief Economist Avery Chenfeld wrote in a note to clients. “Even a skeptic has to conclude that, alongside a pick-up in exports and housing starts, there was a spring in Canada’s step as spring arrived.”

Despite the apparent vengeful return of hiring, with Canada’s gross domestic product trending at a paltry pace over the prior year, he wrote the data leaves “us scratching our heads.”

“Just what are all these workers doing?” he asked.

Total hours worked climbed 0.4 per cent in April, but that’s only up 1.3 per cent over last year. Jobs, he wrote, have also leaned toward those under 25 — jobs tied to shorter workweeks and lower productivity sectors.

“There’s still an evident mismatch between what the jobs data are saying about the economy and measures of sales and output that get aggregated into real GDP reports,” he wrote.

He anticipates today’s data will drive the Bank of Canada to expect a brighter outlook a quarter earlier.

Regionally, the data is not as rosy and paints a more mixed picture of the labour market. While year-over-year the unemployment rate held steady at 7 per cent, the labour force has shrunk to 103,300 from 106,600. Those employed also slipped from 99,100 to just over 96,000.

The participation rate for Prince Albert and Northern Saskatchewan, which includes data for our area, has declined from 66.8 per cent to just 65.2. This measures those working and actively looking for work.

In Saskatchewan, employment was little changed month to month. While full-time employment rose by 5,700 positions from March to April, part-time roles saw a decline of 4,200. Coupled with a rise in the participation rate to 69.1 per cent from 68.6, the province’s unemployment rate saw a steep climb from 4.9 per cent to 5.4, but is still the fourth lowest in the country.

“Despite headwinds that our economy faces domestically and abroad, Saskatchewan job creators continue to show confidence in our province,” Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison said.

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tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr