Canada Unemployment Drops To Lowest in More Than 40 Years

Canada unemployment is the lowest since at least 1976, according to new federal government figures.

A stellar November saw unemployment drop to 5.6 per cent, the lowest since comparable figures became available in 1976, Statistics Canada says.

The drop of 0.2 percentage points comes after 94,100 jobs were added in November, meaning employment growth of 219,000 in the last year, driven entirely by full-time jobs.

Provincially, there were employment increases in eight out of 10 provinces in November, with Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland & Labrador showing slight decreases.


What Are The Labour Force Survey Highlights?

Unemployment rate (%) 5.6
Employment rate (%) 61.7
Labour force participation rate (%) 65.4
Number unemployed 1,124,800
Number working 18,799,100
Youth (15-24) unemployment rate (%) 10.8
Men (over 25) unemployment rate (%) 5.0
Women (over 25) unemployment rate (%) 4.7

Source: Statistics Canada


Employment among workers aged 25 to 54 rose 49,000 across the month, with women contributing 32,000 and men 17,000 jobs.

Core-aged women saw unemployment drop to 4.6 per cent, and men to 4.7 per cent.

Employment in the core age-group has now risen 208,000 in the last year.

Employment also rose in the 55 and over category, by 39,000, although unemployment rose to 5.5 per cent as more people looked for work.

The 15 to 24 age-group, meanwhile, saw little change in their employment in November.


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Provincial Canada Jobs

Quebec saw employment rise by 26,000 in November, with an unemployment rate of 5.4 per cent.

The French-speaking province saw notable increases in professional, scientific and technical services, plus educational services.

Employment increased by 24,000 in Alberta, with the unemployment rate dropping a full percentage point, from 7.3 per cent to 6.3 per cent. Over the last 12 months, employment has risen 59,000 in the oil-rich province.


Which Canadian Province Has the Lowest Unemployment?

Jobs change August Unemployment rate (%)
1) British Columbia 15,900 4.4
2) Quebec 25,800 5.4
3) Saskatchewan 5,500 5.5
4) Ontario 20,200 5.6
5) Manitoba 2,600 5.7
6) Alberta 23,700 6.3
7) Nova Scotia 200 7.0
8) New Brunswick 1,700 7.9
9) Prince Edward Island -200 8.5
10) Newfoundland & Labrador -1,300 12.2
CANADA 94,100 5.6

Source: Statistics Canada



Ontario saw an increase of 20,000 Canada jobs, with an unemployment rate of 5.6 per cent. Canada’s largest province has added 66,000 jobs in the last year.

British Columbia still leads the way with an unemployment rate of 4.4 per cent after adding 16,000 jobs in November. The western province has added 43,000 jobs in the last 12 months.

Another 5,500 more people found jobs in Saskatchewan in November, for an unemployment rate of 5.5 per cent. 

Manitoba, meanwhile, added 2,600 jobs and has an unemployment rate of 5.7 per cent.


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The professional, scientific and technical services sector added 26,000 jobs in November, spearheaded by Quebec and Ontario.

Further gains of 19,000 jobs were seen in health care and social assistance, focused in Ontario and Alberta. In the last year, employment has grown 57,000 in the industry.

Gains were also seen in construction (15,000), business, building and other support services (15,000), transportation and warehousing (9,000) and agriculture (7,100).

Canada’s November gains were driven by the private sector, adding 79,000 jobs, while the public and self-employed sectors saw little change.

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