Employers in the US added 224,000 positions in April-the largest monthly gain in 11 months- while employment in Canada rose by 58,300 positions.
The US Labor Department reported Friday that the 224,000 gain in employment in April still resulted in a 0.2 percent increase in the overall US unemployment rate-the first increase since November 2010. The higher unemployment numbers are likely due to more people resuming their job search. The decline in the unemployment rate in the past few months was largely a result of fewer people looking for work in addition to actual job gains.
The US construction industry added 5,000 jobs in April as the industry's unemployment rate fell to 17.8, nearly twice the national average, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) announced Friday. "The construction industry may have stopped bleeding jobs, but there is no sign that employment levels are set to bounce back," said Ken Simonson, the AGC's chief economist. "With declines in public sector investments likely to offset increases in some private sector construction activity, we are unlikely to see significant increases in construction employment for the foreseeable future."
In Canada, the unemployment rate fell 0.1 percent from March to 7.6 percent in April according to Statistics Canada. Employers added 58,300 positions in April compared to a loss of 1,500 jobs in March, although the gain is was largely driven by an increase in part-time positions.