0914 ET - Canadian employers shed 50,600 workers in March, mostly in the private sector. This marked the biggest decline in employer payrolls in over three years, when the country was still dealing with Covid-19 outbreaks, according to Statistics Canada's labor-force data. The official headline job loss total for March, of 32,600, takes into account an 18,000 gain in the so-called self-employed category. Economists tend to put less weight on the self-employed component, which includes freelancers and contractors whose pay is generally not as high, and generally don't have access to benefits much like those working for companies. The most recent Bank of Canada minutes suggest labor-market weakening was anticipated, due to trade-policy tensions and heightened uncertainty. (paul.vieira@wsj.com, @paulvieira)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 04, 2025 09:14 ET (13:14 GMT)

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