The Financial Post reports in its Saturday, May 9, edition that Canada's unemployment rate increased to 6.9 per cent in April, with the economy losing 18,000 jobs as more people sought work. The Post's Paula Tran writes that Statistics Canada reported a loss of 49,000 full-time jobs, while part-time positions rose by 29,000. Economists had anticipated moderate job growth and a steady or declining unemployment rate. RBC economist Claire Fan called the unemployment rate "concerning" but said her forecasts for the rest of the year are still relatively positive. April's job losses came after Canada gained 14,000 jobs in March, when the unemployment rate held steady at 6.7 per cent. The unemployment rate for April increased to 14.3 per cent among youth aged 15 to 24 and 6.1 per cent among men aged 25 to 54, up from 13.8 per cent and 5.8 per cent a month earlier. The country has now lost 112,000 jobs over the first four months of 2026, mainly in the manufacturing and wholesale sectors. Most of these job losses were concentrated in Quebec, which has lost 87,000 jobs so far. The majority were full-time positions, which are down 111,000 since January.