Ottawa, May 7 (IANS): Canada's employment was little changed in April after two consecutive months of growth and the unemployment rate edged down 0.1 percentage point to 5.2 per cent, official figures revealed.

The employment rate held steady at 61.9 per cent, Xinhua news agency quoted Statistics Canada as saying.

Employment rose among core-aged women and declined among core-aged men in April.

Employment gains in professional, scientific and technical services, as well as in public administration, were offset by declines in construction and retail trade, the national statistical office said.

Unemployment rate continued to decline after reaching a record low of 5.3 per cent in March. The unemployment rate for people aged 25 to 54 fell 0.2 percentage point to 4.3 per cent, the lowest recorded rate since comparable data became available in 1976, according to Statistics Canada.

Long-term unemployment accounted for 20.6 per cent of total unemployment in April 2022, up from the pre-pandemic February 2020 level of 15.6 per cent, it added.