Canada Employment Update

April 2023 Overview

The Canadian employment landscape is constantly changing. Keep up-to-date with the most recent trends with our monthly Employment Update.

  • Employment at 20,130,000 in April

    Employment rose by 41,000 (+0.2 per cent) in April, all in part time work.

    Compared with 12 months earlier, the number of private sector employees rose by 299,000 (+2.3 per cent) in April, while there were 81,000 (+2.0 per cent) more people working in the public sector.

  • Employment in Ontario increased

    In Ontario, employment rose by 33,000 (+0.4 per cent) in April, bringing cumulative gains for the province since September 2022 to 205,000 (+2.7 per cent).

  • Employment in Prince Edward Island increased

    In Prince Edward Island, employment rose by 2,200 (+2.5 per cent) in April.

  • Wholesale and retail trade employment grows

    Employment in wholesale and retail trade increased by 24,000 (+0.8 per cent) in April, following little change in February and March and a rise of 59,000 in
    January.

  • Unemployment rate held steady

    The unemployment rate held steady at 5.0 per cent in April, unchanged since December 2022.

  • Employment rose among core aged and older men

    Employment for core aged men (25 to 54 years old) rose by 18,000 (+0.3 per cent) in April, following two months of little change. The employment gain among core aged men in April was all in part time work.

    Employment for men aged 55 and older rose by 16,000 (+0.7 per cent) in April.

  • Part time employment increased

    Part time employment increased by 48,000 (+1.3 per cent) in April, the first notable increase in part time work since October 2022.

  • Average hourly wages increased on a year over year basis

    On a year over year basis, average hourly wages rose 5.2 per cent (+$1.66 to $33.38) in April (not seasonally adjusted).

  • 15.2% of people working part time did so involuntarily

    Of those who worked part time, 15.2 per cent did so involuntarily, meaning they would have preferred a full time position.

  • Labour force participation holds steady

    The labour force participation rate held steady at 65.6 per cent in April.

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Industry Trends

Acara summarizes the latest industry trends each month to keep you informed as you make decisions about the future of your business.

  • Annually, employee absences and presenteeism are costing employers nearly $645 million

    46% of workers experienced at least one work related mental health risk factor in 2022.

    48.1 days on average per employee was lost in 2022 due to health related absences and presenteeism.

  • Employees are struggling with…

    • Worrying about their financial situation (63 per cent), with 30 per cent distracted from work while stressing over money
    • Feelings of loneliness (49 per cent)
    • Getting less than the recommended seven hours of sleep per night (27 per cent)

View the Monthly U.S. Employment Update

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