Canada’s labour market gained another 19,400 net jobs last month – and the vast majority of the new work was full time.
But latest Statistics Canada job survey also shows the bulk of those new positions were in the self-employment category, which can include people working for a family business without pay. The agency says the country’s unemployment rate crept up in March to 6.7 per cent from 6.6 per cent because more people were looking for work.
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The country lost 2,400 positions in the services sector last month, but added 21,800 factory jobs thanks to the biggest month-to-month surge in manufacturing work since 2002.
Alberta easily saw the biggest boost among provinces by adding 20,700 full-time jobs last month and, at the other end of the spectrum, Quebec shed 17,800 full-time positions.
The number of private-sector jobs rose 13,700 between February and March, while public-sector positions dropped by 12,700.
READ MORE: Canadian job numbers beat expectations, as full-time hiring soars
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