News in Brief

Canada, China sign social security agreement

OTTAWA — The Canadian government has signed a social security agreement with China that will allow workers temporarily posted in China by their Canadian employers to continue contributing to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) while abroad.

The agreement will also exempt the employees and their employers from having to contribute to the Chinese pension program for the same work covered under the CPP.

In addition, the agreement will allow Chinese companies and the employees they send to work temporarily in Canada to continue contributing to the Chinese pension program and to be exempt from CPP contributions for the same work.

The agreement will take effect once both the Canadian and Chinese governments have completed the approval procedures under their own legislation. Canada has signed 59 international social security agreements, with 56 currently in force.

Unemployment rate remains at 6.8 per cent in March: StatsCan

OTTAWA — Canada’s economy gained 28,700 jobs in March, but the unemployment rate remained at 6.8 per cent, Statistics Canada reports.

The job gains mostly came in part-time work. Industries where employment increased included retail and wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, educational services and natural resources. Employment was down in industries such as construction, public administration and agriculture.

On a provincial basis, Newfoundland and Labrador continued to have the highest unemployment rate at 13.3 per cent, up from 12.6 per cent in the previous month. Saskatchewan and Alberta had the lowest unemployment rates, with Saskatchewan’s at 4.4 per cent, down from five per cent in February. In Alberta, the rate was 5.5 per cent, up from 5.3 per cent the previous month.

Besides Newfoundland and Alberta, the unemployment rate was up in Nova Scotia (9.3 per cent), Prince Edward Island (11 per cent) and Quebec (7.5 per cent). Besides Saskatchewan, the rate was down in Manitoba (5.4 per cent), New Brunswick (10.1 per cent) and British Columbia (5.8 per cent). It was unchanged in Ontario (6.9 per cent).

In the United States, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the American economy added 126,000 jobs in March, keeping the unemployment rate at 5.5 per cent.

Feds to build new centre to house public sector payroll services

MIRAMICHI — The Canadian government is moving ahead with plans to further consolidate payroll services for federal public servants, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in announcing the government has awarded a contract for the construction and lease of a new building in Miramichi, N.B.

The building will house the Public Service Pay Centre, which provides payroll services to a number of government organizations. By the end of this year, the government says the centre will deliver pay services to 46 federal departments and agencies. Pay centre employees will work out of two locations in Miramichi until the new facility opens in late 2018.

The federal government says it is also modernizing its technology to replace outdated and labour-intensive information systems.

Average weekly earnings up slightly in January: StatsCan

OTTAWA — Average weekly earnings of non-farm payroll employees were $948 in January, up slightly from $943.68 in December, Statistics Canada reports. On a year-over-year basis, weekly earnings increased three per cent in January.

The increase in weekly earnings during the 12 months to January reflected a number of factors, including wage growth, changes in the composition of employment by industry, occupation and level of job experience, as well as average hours worked per week. Non-farm payroll employees worked an average of 33 hours a week in January, up slightly from an average of 32.9 hours 12 months earlier.

Year-over-year earnings of non-farm payroll employees increased in all provinces, with the biggest growth in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick. The smallest growth occurred in Ontario and Quebec.