Quebec Unemployment Drops To 3.9% As Canada Jobs Rise By 150,000

Canada added 150,000 Canada jobs in January and maintained an unemployment rate of 5 percent, as the labour market enjoyed a solid month.

Ontario, Quebec and Alberta led the way among the provinces, as the tight labour market that has existed since COVID-19 continued.

Jobs have now been increasing since September last year, with an increase of 326,000 in the four-month period.

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Canada’s employment rate – the percentage of people aged 15 and older who are employed – is now at 62.5 percent, the highest since May 2019.

Demographically, the gains were split evenly between women and men aged 25 to 54.

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Women in the age group added 51,000 jobs for an employment rate of 82.2 percent, the highest since recording began in 1976.

Men added 50,000 jobs for an employment rate of 88.3 percent.

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What Are The Labour Force Survey Highlights?

Unemployment rate (%)	5.0
Employment rate (%)	62.5
Labour force participation rate (%)	65.7
Number unemployed	1,046,000
Number working	20,032,300
Youth (15-24) unemployment rate (%)	9.5
Men (over 25) unemployment rate (%)	4.3
Women (over 25) unemployment rate (%)	4.1

Source: Statistics Canada

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Provincial Canada Jobs Picture

Among the provinces, Ontario led the way by adding 63,000 jobs for an unemployment rate of 5.2 percent. This was the third notable increase in four months for Canada’s most populous province.

Quebec had the lowest unemployment rate of all the provinces in January, at 3.9 percent, after the French-speaking province added 47,000 jobs.

Alberta, meanwhile, saw employment rise by 21,000. The province has now added 48,000 jobs since September and 99,000 in the last year. Its unemployment rate was 6 percent. 

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Unemployment Rates In Canada’s Provinces

	Jobs change in last month	Unemployment rate (%)
British Columbia	7,700	4.4
Alberta	20,700	6.0
Saskatchewan	4,500	4.3
Manitoba	800	4.2
Ontario	62,800	5.2
Quebec	47,400	3.9
New Brunswick	-600	7.5
Nova Scotia	9,400	5.0
Prince Edward Island	-400	7.7
Newfoundland & Labrador	-2,300	11.8
CANADA	150,000	5.0

Source: Statistics Canada

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Nova Scotia also added jobs in January, posting an employment increase of 9,400, or 1.9 percent. Its unemployment rate fell 1.2 percentage points to 5 percent.

Saskatchewan, meanwhile, saw an increase of 4,500 jobs for an unemployment rate of 4.3 percent.

Canada Jobs Picture By Industry

From an industry perspective, employment increases were widespread.

There was an increase of 59,000 jobs in wholesale and retail trade, the first increase since February last year. Increases were seen in three main provinces: British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec.

Health care and social assistance also saw gains, adding 40,000 jobs after a decrease in December last year.

The number of people working in educational services rose by 18,000, mainly in Quebec. Construction added 16,000 jobs, meaning employment was up 114,000 over the last year, making it one of the fastest-growing industries in that period.