OTTAWA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Canada's unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.1 percent in April, while the employment rate held steady at 61.4 percent, following six consecutive monthly declines, Statistics Canada said Friday.
However, unemployment rates were up on a year-over-year basis among largest racialized groups, the national statistical agency said.
According to the agency, the unemployment rate rose by 4.4 percentage points to 11.2 percent for core-aged Black Canadians, by 2.1 percentage points to 6.8 percent for core-aged South Asians, and by 1.3 percentage points to 7.5 percent for core-aged Chinese Canadians. In comparison, the unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage points to 4.2 percent over the same period among non-racialized core-aged people.
The unemployment rate, adjusted to U.S. concepts, was 5.1 percent in Canada in April, 1.2 percentage points higher than in the United States, the agency added.
Also adjusted to U.S. concepts, the employment rate was 62 percent in Canada and 60.2 percent in the United States in April, the agency said.
The employment rate, defined as employment as a percentage of the working-age population, has historically been higher in Canada, but the gap has narrowed in the past year. From April 2023 to April 2024, the employment rate, adjusted to U.S. concepts, fell by 0.8 percentage points in Canada while it was little changed in the United States over the same period, Statistics Canada said.
