Canada added 48,000 jobs last month, highest gains in BC
Canada’s employment rate rose in the first month of 2017 with 48,000 new jobs, and BC led the way.
Employment in the province increased by 11,000 jobs. This continues that positive trend that has been since the same time last year.
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In fact, with an increase 3.5% – or 82,000 jobs – since January 2015, the province’s rate of job growth is the fastest in the country.
National trends
The 0.3% increase nation-wide builds on the gains that were seen in the second half of 2016, and leaves the unemployment rate at 6.8%
Nearly all of the newly added jobs are in the service sector, with increases in finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing; business, building and other support services; transportation and warehousing; and public administration.
And BC wasn’t the only province to see its employment rate increase.
The employment rate also rose in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
By contrast, employment was down in New Brunswick. Across the other provinces, the employment rate remained virtually unchanged.
Provincial summary
While BC came out on top for job growth, other provinces saw gains as well.
In Ontario, employment rose by 29,000 jobs, leaving the unemployment rate at 6.4%.
There were 4,200 more people working in Nova Scotia in January, and the unemployment rate fell by 0.6% to 7.7%.
Despite a downward employment trend that began in May 2016, there were 2,200 more people working in Newfoundland and Labrador and the unemployment rate fell by 1.3% to 13.8%.
The employment rate remain unchanged in Alberta though, as 25,000 part-time gains offset 24,000 full-time losses. The unemployment rate though rose by 0.3% to 8.8%, as the number of people searching for work edged up.
New Brunswick saw 3,000 fewer people in the workforce, leaving employment for the province at about the same level as 12 months earlier. The unemployment rate edged down by 0.4% to 8.9%, the result of fewer people participating in the labour market.
January employment rates by age and gender
In January, employment for men aged 25 to 54 rose by 30,000, and their unemployment rate fell by 0.3% to 5.9%. The employment increase in January was the largest in over two years.
Employment among women aged 25 to 54 increased for the second consecutive month, up 27,000 in January. Their unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 5.3%.
Job growth among youths aged 15 to 24 changed little on both a monthly and a year-over-year basis, while their population growth continued on a downward trend. With more youths searching for work in January, their unemployment rate increased to 13.3%.
Employment among men aged 55 and older changed little in January. However, their unemployment rate decreased by 0.5% to 6.5% as fewer men in this age group searched for work. Employment among women aged 55 and older was also little changed in January, and their unemployment rate was 5.3%.
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