Canada added 14,000 jobs in March, but unemployment rate unchanged – National

Canada added 14,000 working in March, but the country’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.7 per cent, Statistics Canada said Friday.

While employment was “little changed” last month, it follows the loss of 84,000 jobs in February, which pushed the unemployment rate up from 6.5 percent to 6.7 percent.

Job growth was led by a category the agency calls “other services,” which includes repair and maintenance work in the economy, as well as professional, scientific and technical services and natural resource industries.

Canada’s natural resources sector saw a three percent increase, adding 10,000 new jobs. Nearly half of those jobs came from Alberta alone.

Tariff-sensitive manufacturing added several thousand jobs in March, while the finance, insurance, real estate and leasing sectors led last month’s losses.

While healthcare employment was little changed from last month, the sector added 94,000 new jobs compared to the same time last year. During the same period, Canada shed 44,000 manufacturing jobs.

Canadians earned higher hourly wages in March compared to the same time last year, with average hourly wages rising 4.7 per cent — up from 3.9 per cent in February and the fastest pace in 18 months.

The unemployment rate has been stable across all age groups.

For people in the “prime working age” group – ages 25 to 54 – the unemployment rate was largely unchanged at 5.8 percent.

While youth unemployment rose by 1.3 percentage points in February to 13.8 percent, it remained unchanged for young people between the ages of 15 and 24. The figure was below the recent high of 14.6 percent recorded in September 2025.

For Canadians over 55, the unemployment rate was 4.9 per cent in March.

Canada’s economy “still faces headwinds” going forward, RBC economist Nathan Janzen said in a note on Friday.

“Trade uncertainty remains ahead of negotiations to extend CUSMA this summer, and higher energy prices are reducing household purchasing power,” Janzen said.

— with files from The Canadian Press

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