The national economy shed more than 61-thousand jobs.
That bumped the jobless rate from 7.7 per cent to eight per cent — the highest rate in seven years.
Ontario appeared to hold its own despite broad job losses in manufacturing, finance, insurance, real estate and other sectors.
The Ontario rate stood at 8.7 per cent — unchanged from February.
Throughout Midwestern Ontario the jobless rates went from 6.9 per cent in February to 7.9 per cent in March.
Employment fell by 26 thousand among men aged 25 to 54 in March.
Since the start of the downturn in October, employment for that same age group declined by 197 thousand — the largest five-month loss in 33 years.