Canada adds 32,300 jobs, all full time, as jobless rate stays at record low

The economy delivered 32,300 net new jobs last month as Canada generated a rush of full-time work that helped keep the national unemployment rate at its record low.

Statistics Canada said Friday the jobless rate stayed at 5.8 per cent in March for a secondconsecutive month - and for the third time since December - to match its lowest mark since the agency started measuring the indicator in 1976. The only other time the rate slipped to this level was 2007.

The March gains were driven by a surge in full-time work. The labour-market survey showed the workforce added 68,300 fulltime positions, while the number of part-time jobs decreased by 35,900.

However, the data also reveal that 19,600 of the new employee positions were created in the public sector. By comparison, the number of private-sector workers declined by 7,000. Average hourly wage growth, which has been under close scrutiny by the Bank of Canada ahead of interest-rate decisions, strengthened in March to 3.3 per cent, up from 3.1 per cent the previous month.

The central bank, which will make its next rate announcement later this month, has repeatedly highlighted wage growth as a key indicator. Wage growth has been moving upwards since it bottomed out at 0.5 per cent in April 2017. The youth unemployment rate dipped last month to 10.9 per cent, down from 11.1 per cent in February, following a net gain of 17,700 new jobs.