Canada’s jobless rate reached its highest level in more than two years in June, according to Statistics Canada.
Monthly figures released Friday show the unemployment rate hit 6.4 per cent, up from 6.2 per cent the previous month.
It comes as the country shed around 1,400 jobs in June and the size of the country’s labour force continued to grow.
Canada saw fewer people working in transportation, warehousing, and public administration.
At the same time, there were increases in accommodation, food services, and warehousing.
StatCan noted the country’s unemployment rate has increased 1.3 percentage points since April 2022.
As the unemployment rate has increased over the past year, so has the number of long-term unemployed, said the agency.
It noted that 17.6 per cent of those unemployed in June had been unemployed for at least 27 weeks, up from 13.6 per cent a year earlier. Older unemployed persons were more likely to be in long-term unemployment.
On a year-over-year basis, average hourly wages climbed to $34.91 in June, up 5.4 per cent or $1.79. That followed growth of 5.1 per cent in May.
At look at some of the provincial numbers
New Brunswick gained 2,600 full-time and 400 part-time positions for an overall increase of 3,000.
But with labour force growth outpacing employment growth, the unemployment rate climbed to 7.7 per cent from 7.5 per cent in May.
Nova Scotia gained 800 part-time jobs but lost 2,600 full-time positions for a net decrease of 1,700.
The province’s unemployment rate increased 0.2 percentage points to 6.6 per cent.
Prince Edward Island had a net gain of 600 jobs, but the unemployment rate jumped to 8.0 per cent from 7.1 per cent the month before due to a larger labour force.
In Ontario, the province lost 7,400 full-time jobs and added 17,200 part-time positions for a net increase of 9,800.
But the growing labour force pushed the province’s unemployment rate up to 7.0 per cent from 6.7 per cent in May.
The full report can be found on Statistics Canada’s website.
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