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B.C. employment growth picks up in April, while rest of Canada slows down: StatsCan

Employment countrywide grew by only 3,200 jobs last month
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B.C. led job growth in Canada during April, with the province adding 11,300 jobs in the month

That number was nearly triple the 4,200 jobs added in March, according to data released May 5 by Statistics Canada.

StatsCan noted that most of the jobs added were in education and health care services, while unemployment remained nearly unchanged at 5.5%, compared to 5.4% in March.

Meanwhile, employment in Canada as a whole grew by only 3,200 jobs last month, making B.C. one of only two provinces to report a noticeable increase in jobs.

Several economists say April was a disappointing month for job growth in Canada.

“This was not a great employment report,” said Michael Dolega, TD’s senior economist. “After several months of strong gains the Canadian job machine slowed in April, coming in well below expectations for a 10k increase. The details were even less encouraging, with all of the gains coming from part-time jobs.”

However, BMO’s chief economist, Douglas Porter, noted that even with the slowing growth in the country, “full-time employment is still up 1.3% from a year ago, a solid tally by any measure.”

Seven provinces in total reported a decline in job growth, as Quebec (-3,800), Saskatchewan (-2,200), and New Brunswick (-2,000), were hit the hardest in April with the largest net losses in the country.