U.S. & Canada experienced positive job gains in April

Both the U.S. Labor Department and Statistics Canada today published employment statistics for the month of April of both respective nations.

The Canadian economy added 109,000 new jobs in April 2010, marketing the largest monthly gain in jobs since the summer of 2002. Interestingly, more than 72,000 of those jobs were taken by men aged 25 and over. Part time positions added 65,000 jobs, while full time added fewer of 44,000 jobs

Canada’s aggregate unemployment rate also marginally declined to 8.1-percent from 8.2-percent.

The Canadian province of Ontario added the most jobs in the month with 41,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate in Ontario remained unchanged at 8.8-percent YoY.

Manitoba added the fewest jobs with 7,000 jobs added, bringing its unemployment rate down to 4.9-percent, which is the lowest unemployment rate in the country.

 Analysts were expecting only less than 50,000 total jobs to be created in Canada in the month of April.

In the United States, the Labor department said today that 290,000 total jobs were created in April 2010. This current gain compares with 590,000 jobs that were lost in the same period of 2009.

The April gain marks net job gains in five of the last six months.

Despite the net gain in jobs created for the month, U.S. unemployment increased to 9.9-percent, from 9.7-percent in March.

The U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis today said in a statement, “While we are encouraged to see the economy strengthening and employers starting to hire again, we understand more work has to be done to ensure every American who wants a job has access to a good job,”