Canada Jobless Rate Remained at 7.5% in December
10 Jan 08:05
OTTAWA (Dow Jones)--Canada's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 7.5% in
December, Statistics Canada said.
The strong upward trend in employment that began at the start of 2002
continued in December, with an increase of 58,000 jobs, including 46,200 in
full-time employment and 11,800 in part-time, the agency said.
For all of 2002, employment in Canada rose 3.7% over 2001, adding 560,000 to
the country's labor force. The year 2002 marked the highest annual employment
growth since 1987.
December's unemployment rate remained unchanged because a large number of
people entered the labor force, Statistics Canada said.
The proportion of working-age population holding a job in December rose to an
all-time high of 62.4%. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate hit
67.5%, equaled only once before in January 1990.
Overall job growth in 2002 was concentrated in manufacturing, health care and
social assistance, educational services and construction, Statistics Canada
said. Employment rose in all provinces in 2002 except in Newfoundland and
Labrador. Ontario and Quebec accounted for nearly two-thirds of the overall
increase. Youth, adult women and adult men all benefitted from the strong labor
market in 2002.
December's employment growth was spread among several industries. The largest
gain was in educational services, where 20,000 jobs were added. The increase
was concentrated in Ontario. Also, December employment rose by 19,000 in the
trade sector, with almost all of the increase occurring in Ontario. And, while
the number of public sector employees changed little in December, the number of
private sector employees increased for a fifth consecutive month, rising by
63,000 in December.
Among Canada's provinces, employment in Quebec showed the largest gain,
rising by 31,000 new positions, almost all of them in full-time. Employment
gains were modest in other provinces.
-Joel Baglole, Dow Jones Newswires; 613-237-0668
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
01-10-03 0805ET |
