Canada unemployment rate rises 0.2 per cent in April — Ctv News London

ctv news london reports Canada’s unemployment rate rose 0.2 per cent in April as the country lost around 18,000 jobs. For Canadians aged 15 to 24, the rate climbed to 14.3 per cent after more people looked for work.

April labour figures

Statistics Canada’s figures show the April increase came after a 1.3 percentage-point rise in youth unemployment in February to 13.8 per cent, followed by no change in March. The latest number leaves younger workers above the overall jobless rate and near the recent high of 14.6 per cent reached in September 2025.

The 0.2 per cent rise in the national unemployment rate, paired with the loss of about 18,000 jobs, means the April reading was not driven by one age group alone. But the sharper move among people aged 15 to 24 shows the pressure was heavier for job seekers at the start of their working lives.

15 to 24 group

For readers in that age bracket, the practical change is immediate: competition for entry-level work got tighter in April, not easier. The data do not point to a recovery yet, because youth unemployment remained close to its recent peak even after a quiet March.

That leaves the April report as a snapshot of a labour market where more people were looking for work at the same time fewer jobs were available. The next labour reading will show whether the rise in youth unemployment was a one-month move or part of a longer stretch.