Ontario sees positive job growth in first month of 2017

Canada’s employment rate rose in the first month of 2017 with 48,000 new jobs, and Ontario was among the top performers.

Employment in the province increased by 29,000 jobs. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment in Ontario was up by 90,000 (+1.3%), with all of the gains from August to January.

The unemployment rate for the province remained at 6.4% as more people participated in the labour market.

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 Ontario wasn’t the only province to see its employment rate increase.

The employment rate also rose in Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. British Columbia led the pack.

By contrast, employment was down in New Brunswick. Across the other provinces, the employment rate remained virtually unchanged.

Provincial summary

While Ontario performed well, other provinces saw positive gains as well.

Employment increased by 11,000 in BC, continuing an upward trend that began in the spring of 2015.

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% points to 6.5% as fewer men in this age group searched for work. Employment among women aged 55 and older also changed little in January, and their unemployment rate was 5.3%.