Employment was little changed in August (+22,000; +0.1%) while the employment rate decreased 0.1 percentage points to 60.8%. The unemployment rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 6.6%, reported Statistics Canada on Friday.
Employment grew by 20,000 (+0.3%) among core-aged women (25 to 54 years old) in August, and held steady across other major demographic groups, added the federal agency.
“Employment rose in educational services (+27,000; +1.7%), health care and social assistance (+25,000; +0.9%), and finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (+11,000; +0.8%). It declined in “other services” (-19,000; -2.3%), professional, scientific and technical services (-16,000; -0.8%), utilities (-6,800; -4.5%) and natural resources (-6,500; -1.8%),” it said.
“Employment increased in Alberta (+13,000; +0.5%), Nova Scotia (+5,000; +1.0%), Manitoba (+4,400; +0.6%) and Prince Edward Island (+900; +1.0%), while there was a decline in Newfoundland and Labrador (-2,400; -1.0%).
“Total hours worked were little changed in August (-0.1%) but were up 1.4% compared with 12 months earlier. Average hourly wages among employees increased 5.0% (up $1.69 to $35.16) on a year-over-year basis in August, following growth of 5.2% in July (not seasonally adjusted).”
Vlada Karpovich
StatsCan said gains in part-time work (+66,000; +1.8%) were largely offset by a decline in full-time work (-44,000; -0.3%). This was the fourth consecutive month of little overall employment change.
“The employment rate—the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who are employed—decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 60.8% in August, the fourth consecutive monthly decline and the 10th decline in the past 11 months. On a year-over-year basis, the employment rate was down 1.2 percentage points in August, as employment growth (+1.6%) was outpaced by growth in the population aged 15 and older in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) (+3.5%),” it said.
“The number of private sector employees rose by 38,000 (+0.3%) in August, largely offsetting a similar-sized decrease in the previous month (-42,000; -0.3%). The increase in private sector employment in August was the first since April. Public sector employment and self-employment were both little changed in August.”
It said the unemployment rate in August was the highest since May 2017, outside of 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The unemployment rate has generally trended up since April 2023, rising 1.5 percentage points over this period.
Unemployment rate rises in most large census metropolitan areas
Mario Toneguzzi
Mario Toneguzzi is Managing Editor of Canada’s Podcast. He has more than 40 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist, and editor. He was named in 2021 as one of the Top 10 Business Journalists in the World by PR News – the only Canadian to make the list. He was also named by RETHINK to its global list of Top Retail Experts 2024.
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