Reference News Network reported on May 11 that according to a report by Reuters on May 9, data showed that Canada's unemployment rate rose to 6.9% in April, the highest level since November last year, as US tariffs began to seriously affect Canada's export-dependent economy.

The Statistics Canada said that the high unemployment rate in Canada was partly due to US President Donald Trump's imposition of tariffs on a large amount of Canadian imports. The statistics agency referred to the decrease in manufacturing jobs.

Statistics Canada said that overall, employment numbers remained basically unchanged in April, with a net increase of 7,400 jobs. In contrast, the number of unemployed people in April was 32,600. Analysts surveyed by Reuters had predicted that employment would increase by 2,500 and the unemployment rate would rise to 6.8%.

Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum in March and on cars in April, affecting businesses and households. The Bank of Canada warned that with the decline in exports, rising prices, reduced hiring, and accelerated layoffs, significant blows to economic growth would be felt in the coming months. The bank claimed that it would take decisive action if emergency support for the economy is needed.

Ali Jaffer, senior economist at CIBC Capital Markets, said: "Overall, we saw signs of weakness in the job market before the trade war broke out, and now it looks like it may collapse soon. Today's report supports the view that the Bank of Canada will cut interest rates in June."

Statistics Canada said: "People looking for work in April found it harder than a year ago." The agency also said that 61% of those who became unemployed in March remained unemployed in April, up nearly 4 percentage points from the same period last year. The agency stated that the impact of tariffs and the uncertainty they brought hit the manufacturing sector particularly hard, with the industry losing 31,000 jobs this month, and retail and wholesale trade employment also declined. (Translated by Xu Yanhong)

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