The drop in output early this year was traced to a flood of imports – which are subtracted from gross domestic product – as businesses raced to order goods before President Donald Trump’s tariffs took effect.

The latest jobs report showed the economy remained relatively sturdy as employers digested erratic trade policies that analysts say could take time to turn up in official data.

Canada's unemployment rate rose to 6.9% in April, the highest since November, as U.S. tariffs started to hit Canada's export-dependent economy in earnest, data showed on Friday.