Canada's employment falls in August

Canada's employment declined by 42,000, or 0.2 percent, in August and the employment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 60.8 percent, Statistics Canada said Friday.

The decrease follows a cumulative increase of 181,000 from April to July, said the national statistical agency, adding that on a year-over-year basis, employment was up by 217,000 in August.

Industries dependent on U.S. demand for exports continue to face an uncertain economic context, compounded by the recent imposition of new U.S. tariffs on Canadian exports, said the agency.

According to the agency, in the 12 months to August, the layoff rate averaged 0.9 percent among workers in industries dependent on U.S. demand for exports. By comparison, the rate was 0.7 percent for other industries over the same period.

The unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.4 percent, said Statistics Canada.

Representatives from the agricultural and food departments of Visegrad countries -- Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia -- have called on the European Union to take immediate, unified action and introduce necessary measures to alleviate the impact of the severe drought on farmers.

At the meeting held in Nitra, Slovakia from Thursday to Friday, the representatives discussed issues about the drought and the dairy industry crisis in Europe.

Data released at the meeting showed that Poland's crop output has dropped by at least 20 percent this year, while the Czech Republic has suffered its worst harvest failure in nearly 15 years. The feed shortage caused by reduced crop yields will severely impact the breeding industry.

The representatives stated that it is necessary to take consistent measures across the continent to mitigate the impact of drought and ensure the stability of the European agricultural and food supply systems. They also called for a focus on the issue of drought at the upcoming informal meeting of EU agriculture ministers.

In February 1991, Poland, Hungary and former Czechoslovakia held a meeting at Visegrad Castle in Hungary to enhance cooperation, and established the Visegrad Group. After Czechoslovakia was divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, the number of member states of the group increased from three to four.