In its latest labour force survey the Canadian government’s statistics gathering agency Statistics Canada reports that in December the country’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.6%, with increases in full-time jobs being offset by drops in part-time employment.
In December, employment declined among women aged 25 to 54 and increased among men in this age group according to the report released Friday (January 9).
The agency noted there were fewer people working in accommodation and food services in December. At the same time, employment increased in agriculture, public administration and natural resources.
The Official Opposition NDP party’s Finance Critic Nathan Cullen crtiticized Canadian government labour policies saying “Nearly 1.3 million Canadians are looking for work. And yet while employment continues to drop, Conservatives are focussed on handouts to wealthy families instead of creating jobs”
According to Andrew Jackson, a senior policy adviser at the Ottawa think-tank the Broadbent Institute, says “The proportion of Canadians with jobs actually fell, from 61.6 per cent to 61.5 per cent,” he said. And despite the monthly full-time jobs surge, for the year as a whole, “just 32,000 permanent jobs were created over the year, compared to an increase of 110,000 temporary jobs,” Jackson noted.
Statistics Canada unemployment rates count people who are actively looking for jobs, but does not include those who have given up looking for a job.
Here’s a breakdown of unemployment rates in December by province (previous month in brackets):
Newfoundland 11.3 (10.7)
Prince Edward Island 11.0 (10.5)
Nova Scotia 8.3 (8.8)
New Brunswick 10.2 (9.6)
Quebec 7.5 (7.6)
Ontario 7.0 (7.0)
Manitoba 5.2 (5.1)
Saskatchewan 3.6 (3.4)
Alberta 4.7 (4.5)
British Columbia 5.4 (5.8)
More information:
Statistics Canada – Labour Force Survey, December 2014 – here
Official Opposition NDP party press release – More job losses under the Conservatives – here
CBC News – Canada loses 4,300 jobs in December – here
CTV News – Jobs lost, but unemployment virtually unchanged in Dec. – here
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