ISTANBUL 

Canada's employment increased by 90,000 in April, or 0.4% compared to the previous month, according to official figures released on Friday by Statistics Canada.


The unemployment rate, however, remained unchanged at 6.1%.

Employment gains in April were spread across several industries, led by scientific and technical services with a gain of 26,000, followed by accommodation and food services at 24,000, then health care and social assistance with 17,000, according to the agency.

"Total hours worked rose 0.8% in April and were up 1.2% compared with 12 months earlier," Statistics Canada said in a statement.

Average hourly wages in April increased 4.7% year-on-year, following an annual growth rate of 5.1% in March, it added.

The labor force participation rate, which is the proportion of the population that is employed, rose 0.1 percentage point to 65.4% in April, marking the first increase since June 2023.