Investing.com — In December, Canada noticed a rise in employment by 91,000 (+0.4%) and the employment charge elevated by 0.2 share factors to 60.8%. The unemployment charge additionally noticed a slight decline by 0.1 share factors to six.7%.
Notably, employment rose for males aged 25 to 54 and people aged 55 and older, in addition to for girls aged 55 and older. When it comes to sectors, December’s employment good points have been led by academic providers, transportation and warehousing, finance, insurance coverage, actual property, rental and leasing, and well being care and social help.
Geographically, employment elevated in Alberta, Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and Saskatchewan, whereas Manitoba noticed a decline. The full hours labored elevated by 0.5% in December and have been up 2.1% in contrast with a yr earlier. Common hourly wages amongst staff have been up 3.8% (+$1.32 to $35.77) on a year-over-year foundation in December.
The yr 2024 ended with 413,000 (+2.0%) extra individuals working in December in contrast with 12 months earlier. This year-over-year development charge was similar to the one noticed in December 2023 (+2.1%) and to the common development charge for December over the pre-COVID-19 pandemic interval of 2017 to 2019 (+1.9%).
Public sector employment rose by 40,000 (+0.9%) in December, the second consecutive month-to-month improve. Non-public sector employment was little modified in December (+27,000; +0.2%) and was up 191,000 (+1.4%) on a year-over-year foundation. The variety of self-employed individuals rose by 24,000 (+0.9%) in December, the primary improve since February. This introduced complete good points in self-employment for the yr to 64,000 (+2.4%).
The employment charge elevated 0.2 share factors to 60.8% in December, after holding regular in November. The rise in December was the primary since January 2023. On a year-over-year foundation, the employment charge was down 0.9 share factors in December.
Employment elevated by 30,000 (+0.4%) amongst core-aged (25 to 54 years previous) males in December, constructing on a rise of 45,000 in November. The rise in December pushed the employment charge of core-aged males up 0.2 share factors to 86.7%. Employment for core-aged ladies was nearly unchanged in December and the employment charge for this group held regular at 80.1%.
Amongst individuals aged 55 and older, employment elevated each for males (+41,000; +1.7%) and ladies (+21,000; +1.1%) in December. For males on this age group, the rise was the primary since January. On a year-over-year foundation, employment was little modified in December for each women and men aged 55 and older.
The unemployment charge was 6.7% in December, down 0.1 share factors from the earlier month. The speed in November was the best since January 2017 (exterior of 2020 and 2021, in the course of the pandemic). On a year-over-year foundation, the unemployment charge was up 0.9 share factors in December.
Common hourly wages amongst staff have been up 3.8% (+$1.32 to $35.77) on a year-over-year foundation in December, following development of 4.1% in November and of 4.9% in October (not seasonally adjusted).
Employment rose by 17,000 (+1.1%) in academic providers—the second consecutive month-to-month improve—and in well being care and social help (+16,000; +0.5%) in December. Over the 12 months of 2024, development in well being care and social help (+130,000; +4.8%) and academic providers (+71,000; +4.7%) have collectively accounted for practically half of employment development throughout all industries.
Employment in transportation and warehousing elevated by 17,000 (+1.6%) in December, rebounding from a similar-sized decline in November. There was little employment change within the trade on a year-over-year foundation.
In December, employment rose in finance, insurance coverage, actual property rental and leasing (+16,000; +1.1%), the primary vital improve since August 2024. On a year-over-year foundation, employment within the trade was up 85,000 (+6.2%).
In Alberta, employment elevated by 35,000 (+1.4%) in December, constructing on good points noticed in three of the earlier 4 months. The employment charge rose 0.7 share factors to 64.8%, and the unemployment charge fell 0.8 share factors to six.7%. Within the 12 months to December 2024, employment grew by 4.0% (+100,000) in Alberta, twice the tempo for Canada as an entire (+2.0%; +413,000).
In Ontario, employment elevated by 23,000 (+0.3%) in December, following two months of little change. Within the 12 months to December, employment within the province grew 2.6% (+205,000). The unemployment charge within the province held regular at 7.5% in December and was up 1.2 share factors on a year-over-year foundation.
Employment in British Columbia rose by 14,000 (+0.5%) in December. Regardless of the employment acquire, the unemployment charge rose 0.3 share factors to six.0% within the month, as extra individuals participated within the labour drive. On a year-over-year foundation, employment within the province was primarily unchanged.
Employment additionally elevated in December in Nova Scotia (+7,400; +1.4%) and Saskatchewan (+4,000; +0.7%), and the unemployment charges in each provinces have been little modified at 6.3% in Nova Scotia and 5.9% in Saskatchewan.
Manitoba (-7,200; -1.0%) was the lone province with an employment decline in December, and the unemployment charge within the province elevated 0.4 share factors to six.2%.
Employment was little modified in Quebec, following a rise in November. With fewer individuals looking for work, the unemployment charge fell 0.3 share factors to five.6%. In contrast with December 2023, the unemployment charge in Quebec was up 0.9 share factors and the employment charge was down 0.9 share factors to 61.0%.
In 2024, round 1.8 million individuals, representing 8.8% of complete employment, labored in industries the place 35% or extra of jobs relied on US demand for Canadian exports. These industries are recognized utilizing the newest out there estimates on value-added in exports from the System of Macroeconomic Accounts.
Industries with the best proportion of employment depending on US demand included oil and fuel extraction, pipeline transportation, main metallic manufacturing and transportation tools manufacturing.
Amongst financial areas in 2024, Wooden Buffalo-Chilly Lake, Alberta had the best share of employment in industries depending on American demand for Canadian exports. Different financial areas with above-average proportions of employment in these industries in 2024 included Centre-du-Québec, Edmundston-Woodstock, New Brunswick (NYSE:), Southern Nova Scotia, Banff-Jasper-Rocky Mountain Home and Athabasca-Grande Prairie-Peace River, Alberta and Windsor-Sarnia, Ontario.
In 2024, employees with a highschool diploma or a decrease degree of schooling and people with post-secondary schooling beneath a bachelor’s diploma have been extra prone to work in industries depending on American demand for Canadian exports in contrast with these with a bachelor’s diploma or a better degree of schooling. Males have been additionally extra prone to work in these industries than ladies.
Employment in industries depending on US demand for Canadian exports are likely to pay above-average wages. In 2024, the common hourly wage of staff working in these industries was $37.24, 6.5% greater than for workers in different industries.
In complete, 675,000 Canadians, or 2.3% of the inhabitants aged 15 to 69, did paid work by means of a digital platform within the 12 months ending in December 2024 by offering providers, renting out lodging, items or tools, or promoting items by means of web sites or apps that coordinated their work actions or managed funds. This included 498,000 Canadians who supplied providers by means of digital platforms. The commonest providers included the supply of meals or different items, private transport, and the creation of content material, corresponding to movies or podcasts.
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