Turns out Canada’s economy added five times the number of jobs that were forecast for April, while the jobless rate held steady at 6.1 percent.

The latest Statistics Canada report says the economy added a net 90,400 jobs last month.

The gains – largest since the 110-thousand jobs added in January 2023 – were a mix of part-time and full-time work, and entirely in the services-producing industries.

The average hourly wage growth for permanent employees slowed to an annual rate of 4.8 percent from 5 percent in March.

The wage growth rate – closely tracked by the Bank of Canada because of its effect on inflation – is now the slowest since the 3.9 per cent in June of last year.

The Bank of Canada’s next interest rate announcement is scheduled for June 5th.