Canada employment fell by 88,000 in January. The unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points to 5.9%.
Canada employment fell by 88,000 in January. The unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points to 5.9%.
On a year-over-year basis, employment grew by 289,000 or 1.6%. Gains were driven by increases in full-time work (+414,000 or +2.8%), while there were fewer people working part time (-125,000 or -3.5%). Over the same period, hours worked rose by 2.8%.
The largest employment declines were in Ontario and Quebec.
Employment in Ontario declined by 51,000 in January, entirely due to losses in part-time work. The unemployment rate was 5.5%, little changed as fewer people participated in the labour market. Compared with January 2017, employment in the province grew by 104,000 (+1.5%) and the unemployment rate declined by 0.9 percentage points.
Following three months of increases, employment in Quebec fell by 17,000, driven by part-time declines. The unemployment rate increased 0.4 percentage points to 5.4%, as more people searched for work. On a year-over-year basis, employment in Quebec rose by 71,000 (+1.7%) and the unemployment rate was down 0.9 percentage points.
Employment fell by 5,800 in New Brunswick, and the unemployment rate increased 1.3 percentage points to 9.1%. On a year-over-year basis, employment in the province was little changed.
In Manitoba, employment fell by 3,600, as part-time gains were more than offset by full-time losses. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.6%, as fewer people were participating in the labour market. On a year-over-year basis, employment in the province grew by 7,100 (+1.1%).
Overall employment in Alberta was little changed in January, as large part-time declines were mostly offset by full-time increases. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment in the province rose by 46,000 (+2.0%), entirely due to increases in full-time work. Over the same period, the unemployment rate in Alberta was down 1.7 percentage points to 7.0%.
In January, the number of employees fell in both the private and public sectors, while the number of self-employed workers held steady.
Source: Statistics Canada