News in brief: A look at news, facts and figures shaping the world of payroll professionals

Employment virtually unchanged in June

OTTAWA — Canada’s employment was virtually unchanged and the unemployment rate remained at 7.1 per cent in June, according to Statistics Canada.

In the first half of the year, employment growth averaged 14,000 per month, slower than the average of 27,000 in the last six months of 2012.

Over this 12-month period, employment grew by 1.4 per cent (242,000) and the total number of hours worked increased 0.6 per cent.

The number of private and public sector employees and the self-employed was little changed in June. Compared with 12 months earlier, growth among private sector employees was 1.2 per cent (137,000), with all the gains in the second half of 2012.

The number of public sector employees was up 1.5 per cent (55,000), with increases spread throughout the period. As for the self-employed, growth was 1.9 per cent (51,000), the bulk of which occurred in the first quarter of 2013.

Average weekly earnings up 0.2 per cent in April: StatsCan

OTTAWA — Average weekly earnings of non-farm payroll employees rose 0.2 per cent from March to $910 in April, according to Statistics Canada. On a year-over-year basis, earnings increased 2.2 per cent.

The increase in earnings during the 12 months to April reflected a number of factors, including wage growth, changes in composition of employment by industry, occupation and level of job experience, as well as average hours worked per week.

In April, employees worked an average of 32.9 hours per week, unchanged from both the month and year before.

Most Canadians filed income tax online this year: CRA

OTTAWA — More than 76 per cent of Canadians filed their income tax return electronically this year, according to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). This is an increase of 17 per cent over last year.

As of June 20, 20 million Canadians took advantage of electronic filing services, which is up from 17 million at this time last year.

The average Canadian received a refund of $1,641 during the 2012 tax-filing season — an increase of $22 per person since the previous filing season.

Pay equity cheques will soon be in the mail

OTTAWA — The 30-year battle over pay equity at Canada Post has come to an end and cheques will be in the mail starting in August.

Canada Post said it was “pleased” to have reached a memorandum of agreement with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) in accordance with a 2005 Canadian Human Rights Tribunal pay equity ruling that was confirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada on Nov. 17, 2011.

The agreement is consistent with other public-sector pay equity agreements, and provides the corporation with the “certainty and clarity required to begin proceeding with payments to eligible employees,” according to Canada Post.

The ruling will impact about 30,000 employees and will cost Canada Post around $250 million, published reports said.

N.Y. attorney general probes payroll cards over fees

NEW YORK (Reuters) — New York is investigating some of the country’s largest companies over their use of cards to pay hourly employees.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sent letters to more than 20 companies asking for information on their use of the payroll cards, a person familiar with the matter said.

The companies include Walgreen, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and Darden Restaurants, which owns Red Lobster, according to copies of the letters obtained by Reuters.

The probe by Schneiderman comes after complaints from workers and advocacy groups about fees associated with the cards, said the source who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. It was first reported by the New York Times.

The cards, which have grown in popularity in lieu of paper paychecks and direct deposit, can carry a host of fees, such as 50 cents or $1 for a balance inquiry and $1.50 for an ATM withdrawal.

They may appeal to low-wage workers who do not have bank accounts.