Canada's payroll employment rises 0.3% in March

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - Canada's payroll employment rose by 51,400, or 0.3%, in March from the previous month, the country's statistical agency said Thursday.

The figure, which shows the number of employees receiving pay and benefits from their employers, follows an increase of 14,600, or 0.1%, recorded in February.

On an annual basis, payroll employment was up by 232,100, or 1.3%, in March, compared to the same month of 2023.

Job vacancies, meanwhile, decreased by 40,600, or 6.2%, to 610,700 in March, marking the largest decline since September 2023.

Annually, total job vacancies in March were down by 192,800, or 24%, compared to the same month of last year.

In March of this year, monthly payroll employment gain were recorded in 11 out of 20 sectors, led by health care and social assistance with 11,700 and educational services with 8,100.

Average weekly earnings, on the other hand, were little changed in March to stand at $1,236, according to Statistics Canada.

Annually, however, they were up 4.2% in March from the same month of last year.