Canadian construction industry sheds 19,000 jobs in April

OTTAWA—Employment in the Canadian construction industry declined by 1.3 per cent last month, offsetting gains made earlier in the year.

The industry, which employs about 1.4 million workers, shed 19,000 jobs throughout April, according to Statistics Canada.

The decline comes as the Canadian labour market as a whole remained essentially flat. Across all industries, Canada lost 1,100 jobs in April, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.8 per cent.

Despite the monthly decline, employment in the construction industry is up 2.3 per cent year-over-year, with 32,000 more construction workers on payroll in April than in the same month last year. The industry’s strong performance in the second half of 2017 is largely responsible for the growth.