Jobless rate jumps on P.E.I. as more people enter labour market
About 7,300 people were unemployed and looking for work in the province in March
Prince Edward Island's unemployment rate jumped to 7.4 per cent in March, up from 7.0 per cent a month earlier.
That's according to the latest edition of Statistics Canada's monthly Labour Force Survey, which was released Friday morning.
The national unemployment rate was up slightly to 6.1 per cent, a full percentage point more than a year earlier.
A total of 7,300 people were unemployed on P.E.I. last month, which is up 15.9 per cent compared to March 2023.
The province lost only 100 jobs in March 2024, but the rate went up because 300 more people entered the labour force, looking for jobs.
The number of full-time jobs rose by 1,100, with about the same number of part-time jobs disappearing.
Year over year, P.E.I. has added 5,400 jobs since last March, while the labour force grew by 6,100 people.
Corrections
- An earlier version of this story said 1,100 part-time jobs were created and the same number of full-time jobs lost. The situation was actually the opposite; 1,100 full-time jobs were created.Apr 08, 2024 7:47 AM EDT