Canada’s payroll employment rose modestly in April, with hiring in health care and public administration offsetting declines in technology-related services, manufacturing and construction, while job vacancies showed little sign of recovering.
Payroll employment increased by 22,000 positions, or 0.1 percent, in April, following a gain of 5,700 in March. Compared with April 2025, payroll employment was up 78,100 positions, or 0.4 percent.
Health care and social assistance led monthly job gains, adding 8,500 employees. Public administration followed with an increase of 6,700 positions, while administrative and support, waste management and remediation services added 3,900.
The gains were partly offset by losses in professional, scientific and technical services, which shed 8,800 payroll jobs in April. Manufacturing employment fell by 3,400 positions, and construction declined by 2,600.
The decline in professional, scientific and technical services was driven largely by computer systems design and related services, which lost 7,600 payroll jobs between February and April. That industry accounted for more than 80 percent of the sector’s overall decline during the three months.
Manufacturing payrolls remained below year-earlier levels despite a brief increase in March. Employment in the sector was down 15,500 positions from April 2025, with transportation equipment, food manufacturing and wood product manufacturing recording the largest declines. Gains in petroleum and coal products, computer and electronic products, and machinery manufacturing only partly offset those losses.
Construction payroll employment fell for a third consecutive month, bringing cumulative losses since February to 9,500 positions. Foundation, structure and building exterior contractors, utility system construction, and heavy and civil engineering construction posted the largest declines. Despite the recent slowdown, construction employment remained 10,800 positions higher than a year earlier, supported by growth in non-residential construction and building equipment contractors.
Health care continued to account for much of the payroll growth. Employment in the sector has increased by 49,700 positions since September 2025, led by hospitals, child day-care services and community care facilities for seniors.
Public administration also recorded a second straight monthly increase. Over the past year, payroll employment in the sector rose by 26,100 positions, with nearly all of the growth occurring in local, municipal and regional governments. Federal public administration employed 5,100 fewer workers than a year earlier.
Average weekly earnings reached $1,345.79 in April, up 1.0 percent from March and 3.8 percent from a year earlier. Average weekly hours worked held steady at 33.5 hours.
The number of vacant jobs changed little for a fourth consecutive month. Employers reported 490,500 vacancies in April, down 17,500, or 3.4 percent, from a year earlier. The job vacancy rate edged down to 2.7 percent from 2.8 percent in the previous four months.
There were 3.2 unemployed people for every vacant position in April, compared with 3.1 in both March and April 2025.
Construction recorded the largest monthly decline in job vacancies, falling by 3,500 positions, followed by professional, scientific and technical services, down 3,300, and administrative and support services, down 3,200. Retail trade was the only major sector to post a notable increase, adding 6,000 vacancies after a decline in March.
Compared with a year earlier, job vacancy rates declined in Manitoba and Ontario, while New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories recorded increases. The Northwest Territories had the highest vacancy rate in the country at 5.4 percent, followed by Yukon at 3.4 percent and British Columbia at 3.3 percent. Newfoundland and Labrador posted the lowest rate at 2.1 percent, ahead of Ontario at 2.4 percent.
Newfoundland and Labrador also had the highest unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio, at 6.1 unemployed people for every available position. Saskatchewan and Manitoba recorded the lowest ratios, at 2.2 and 2.3, respectively.