The jobless rate in the national capital fell to 6.9 per cent in April after holding steady through February and March.
The rate, which fell from 7.2 per cent, has now returned to the level it was at in January, when record low oil prices sent shockwaves through the economy. It’s also lower than it was in April of last year when the unemployment rate was seven per cent.
Ottawa added a total of 4,100 new full time jobs during the month. However, part-time employment fell by 600 jobs, according to Statistics Canada.
Employment in public administration increased by 1,100 jobs in Ottawa and educational services saw gains of more than 2,000 during the month. Professional, scientific and technical services also added about 700 new positions in Ottawa.
The job growth happened at a time when the labour force also expanded to 705,000 people. The labour force is a metric used by Statistics Canada to determine how many residents in the national capital region are eligible to work. The region added 4,200 eligible workers during the month. In March, there were only 700,800 in the labour force.
Last month, the labour force held stagnant when compared to February
Nationally, Statistics Canada says the country’s economy shed 19,700 jobs in April, not enough to change the unemployment rate of 6.8 per cent.
In the U.S., employers added 223,000 jobs in April. The unemployment rate fell to 5.4 per cent from 5.5 per cent the previous month.
