Canada ‘pumping out jobs,’ according to employment numbers
Emily Mathieu Business Reporter
Toronto StarEmployment was up across Ontario last month, with a reported increase of 18,000 full time positions and growth for the year reported, slightly higher than the national average.
Statistics Canada’s latest Labour Force Survey showed the boost in May brought employment gains in the province of 127,000 since July 2009, or an increase of 1.9 per cent compared to national growth of 1.8 per cent. In Ontario the unemployment rate edged up 0.1 per cent in May to 8.9 per cent overall, the report showed.
Across the country employment was up 25,000 in May, the fifth consecutive month of reported employment gains. The unemployment rate was static at 8.1 per cent. Since the beginning of July 2009 national employment has risen 1.8 per cent or 310,000.
“Canada’s recovery has outperformed expectations with the labour market pumping out jobs at a healthy clip as the economy grew at a stronger-than-expected pace in both the fourth quarter of 2009 and first quarter of 2010,” said Dawn Desjardins, assistant chief economist of RBC Capital Markets.
Canada’s unemployment rate will continue to drift lower, but will likely remain above pre-recession levels as workers “who became discouraged during the economic downturn, return to the labour force,” said Desjardins.
The majority of May’s overall growth was among women aged 55 and older, with a reported increase of 17,000. Since July 2009 the fastest rate of employment growth has been documented among men 55 and older, with an increase of 5 per cent with women in the same age group coming second with a reported in crease of 3.1 per cent.
Average hourly wages during the month rose 2.4 per cent, following a trend in recent months, according to the report.
The number of full-time positions were up 67,000 in the month and were partly offset by losses of 43,000 part time jobs. Full time employment has made up the majority of gains since July 2009, the report showed.
In the private sector the number of employees rose 43,000 in May, adding to a total increase of 2.8 per cent since July 2009 with most of the gains in recent months.
The number of self-employed workers dropped 28,000. Since July the number of self-employed Canadians has dropped 2.3 per cent, while employment in the private sector has increased by 2.2 per cent during that same period.
Gains were reported in transportation and warehousing, up 26,000; health care and social assistance, up 18,000; public administration and agriculture, up 13,000 and 9,000 respectively.
Declines were recorded in information, culture and recreation, down 25,000; accommodation and food services, down 22,000; and a decline of 11,000 in natural resources, the report showed.
Manufacturing and construction showed little change in May, the report showed. Since July 2009 an increase of 7.3 per cent, or an increase in employment of 83,000, has been reported in construction.
Alberta, Newfoundland, Labrador and Nova Scotia all reported gains, while declines were reported in British Columbia and Prince Edward Island.
Across the country, employment for women between the ages of 25 and 54 has risen by 1.7 per cent and 1 per cent for men, since July 2009. During that same period youth employment rose 1.6 per cent.
Because the majority of youth employment takes place between May and August an accurate assessment of the youth labour market will not be available until later in the summer.
However, the report showed a 54,000 increase in employment among students aged 20 to 40 in May, boosting the overall employment rate up 3.1 per cent to 59.2 per cent compared to May 2009,the report showed. Despite the gains the student employment rate remains below the rate of 63.6 per cent in May 2008.
In May, Alberta reported gains in employment for the second month on a row, up 15,000 and lowering the unemployment rate to 6.6 per cent. Overall employment across the province has gone up 0.5 per cent since July 2009.
In Newfoundland and Labrador employment was up 7,600, with the overall unemployment rate down 1.2 per cent to 13.8 per cent.
Nova Scotia reported an increase of 3,500 people employed, bringing total growth since July 2009 to 1.5 per cent.
Quebec reported little change last month in employment, the unemployment rate was 8 per cent, the report showed. Since July 2009, employment growth in Quebec has been the fastest in the country, at 2.3 per cent. In British Columbia employment dropped 10,000 and Price Edward Island reported a decline of 1,900 in May.
