By Canadian Press

Canadian wage growth climbs to highest mark since 2009, but economy sheds jobs

Aug 9, 2019 | 6:52 AM

OTTAWA — Canada lost 24,200 jobs last month and its unemployment rate moved up to 5.7 per cent to give the economy its weakest three-month stretch of job creation since early 2018.

On the positive side, Statistics Canada says July’s wage growth came in strong at 4.5 per cent — which was its highest level in more than a decade.

The agency’s latest labour force survey found that job creation was nearly flat between May and July, a period that saw Canada add an average of 400 jobs per month.

The economy had a been on a healthy run of employment gains that began last summer.

Even with the July decline, compared to a year earlier, the numbers show Canada added a healthy dose of 353,000 new positions — almost all of which were full time.

WHAT'S ON

Here is how Medicine Hat and area is marking Remembrance Day

6h ago

veterans

'Buddy check' coffee group helping veterans at Redcliff Legion

Nov 08, 2024

WHAT'S ON

Here is what's on in Medicine Hat and area this weekend: Nov. 8-10

Nov 08, 2024

Year-over-year average hourly wage growth for all employees was 4.5 per cent in July, the indicator’s strongest month since January 2009.

The Canadian Press