Our friends at Stats Canada published their Labour Survey for November 2012 and some very good news after not much news for October, there were 59,000 more employed folks in Canada in November, and the unemployment rate managed to drop by 0.2% as well (a little bit of Holiday Cheer for all of us).
Compared with 12 months earlier, employment increased 1.7% or 294,000, mostly in full-time work. Over the same period, the total number of hours worked rose 1.3%.
In November, employment increased in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba and Prince Edward Island. There was little change in the other provinces.
Much more heartening news for the folks who have been looking for jobs; let us hope this upturn in good fortune in jobs continues (and that the Fiscal Cliff down south does not cause the predicted recession if they fall off it). Remember that if the U.S. coughs Canada gets a cold, and that is still very true even today.
The unemployment graph doesn’t show as nice a drop as we’d hoped, but at least it is much lower than a few years ago. Our friends down south also had some good news on Friday as well where they added 146,000 jobs in November.
The Big Table
As usual, I like to include one of the excellent Big Tables of data from Stats Canada about employment, and my favourite is the Employment by Age table. Have a look and see how your age group is doing:
Labour force characteristics by age and sex Seasonally adjusted
| October 2012 | November 2012 | Oct to Nov 2012 | Nov 2011 to Nov 2012 | Oct to Nov 2012 | Nov 2011 to Nov 2012 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| thousands (except rates) | change in thousands (except rates) | % change | ||||
| Both sexes, 15 years and over | ||||||
| Population | 28,414.8 | 28,442.9 | 28.1 | 335.8 | 0.1 | 1.2 |
| Labour force | 18,977.5 | 18,996.5 | 19.0 | 265.1 | 0.1 | 1.4 |
| Employment | 17,567.5 | 17,626.8 | 59.3 | 293.8 | 0.3 | 1.7 |
| Full-time | 14,262.8 | 14,318.0 | 55.2 | 243.8 | 0.4 | 1.7 |
| Part-time | 3,304.7 | 3,308.8 | 4.1 | 49.9 | 0.1 | 1.5 |
| Unemployment | 1,410.0 | 1,369.7 | -40.3 | -28.7 | -2.9 | -2.1 |
| Participation rate | 66.8 | 66.8 | 0.0 | 0.2 | … | … |
| Unemployment rate | 7.4 | 7.2 | -0.2 | -0.3 | … | … |
| Employment rate | 61.8 | 62.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | … | … |
| Part-time rate | 18.8 | 18.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | … | … |
| Youths, 15 to 24 years | ||||||
| Population | 4,457.1 | 4,456.5 | -0.6 | -0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Labour force | 2,834.5 | 2,833.2 | -1.3 | -30.6 | 0.0 | -1.1 |
| Employment | 2,418.9 | 2,435.2 | 16.3 | -24.1 | 0.7 | -1.0 |
| Full-time | 1,256.0 | 1,277.9 | 21.9 | -32.7 | 1.7 | -2.5 |
| Part-time | 1,162.9 | 1,157.3 | -5.6 | 8.5 | -0.5 | 0.7 |
| Unemployment | 415.7 | 397.9 | -17.8 | -6.5 | -4.3 | -1.6 |
| Participation rate | 63.6 | 63.6 | 0.0 | -0.6 | … | … |
| Unemployment rate | 14.7 | 14.0 | -0.7 | -0.1 | … | … |
| Employment rate | 54.3 | 54.6 | 0.3 | -0.6 | … | … |
| Part-time rate | 48.1 | 47.5 | -0.6 | 0.8 | … | … |
| Men, 25 years and over | ||||||
| Population | 11,726.3 | 11,740.6 | 14.3 | 168.6 | 0.1 | 1.5 |
| Labour force | 8,562.5 | 8,555.6 | -6.9 | 165.8 | -0.1 | 2.0 |
| Employment | 8,001.4 | 8,011.9 | 10.5 | 156.9 | 0.1 | 2.0 |
| Full-time | 7,399.5 | 7,400.6 | 1.1 | 141.2 | 0.0 | 1.9 |
| Part-time | 601.9 | 611.3 | 9.4 | 15.7 | 1.6 | 2.6 |
| Unemployment | 561.1 | 543.7 | -17.4 | 8.9 | -3.1 | 1.7 |
| Participation rate | 73.0 | 72.9 | -0.1 | 0.4 | … | … |
| Unemployment rate | 6.6 | 6.4 | -0.2 | 0.0 | … | … |
| Employment rate | 68.2 | 68.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | … | … |
| Part-time rate | 7.5 | 7.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | … | … |
| Women, 25 years and over | ||||||
| Population | 12,231.4 | 12,245.8 | 14.4 | 168.0 | 0.1 | 1.4 |
| Labour force | 7,580.4 | 7,607.7 | 27.3 | 129.8 | 0.4 | 1.7 |
| Employment | 7,147.2 | 7,179.7 | 32.5 | 161.0 | 0.5 | 2.3 |
| Full-time | 5,607.3 | 5,639.6 | 32.3 | 135.4 | 0.6 | 2.5 |
| Part-time | 1,539.9 | 1,540.2 | 0.3 | 25.7 | 0.0 | 1.7 |
| Unemployment | 433.2 | 428.0 | -5.2 | -31.2 | -1.2 | -6.8 |
| Participation rate | 62.0 | 62.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | … | … |
| Unemployment rate | 5.7 | 5.6 | -0.1 | -0.5 | … | … |
| Employment rate | 58.4 | 58.6 | 0.2 | 0.5 | … | … |
| Part-time rate | 21.5 | 21.5 | 0.0 | -0.1 | … | … |
… not applicable Note(s): Related CANSIM table 282-0087
Employment Numbers 2012
- Employment Hovers in January 2012 in Canada. Both full-time and part-time employment were essentially unchanged in January. Compared with 12 months earlier, full-time workers rose 1.2% (+170,000), while part-time workers fell 1.2% (-41,000). At the same time, total hours worked grew 1.4%, with all of the increase in the first half of the period.
- Unemployment Drops a Little in February 2012. Employment declined in retail and wholesale trade; transportation and warehousing; health care and social assistance; and public administration. These declines were offset by increases in finance, insurance, real estate and leasing; educational services; and business, building and other support services.
- Easter Bunny Bounces Jobs Into March 2012 in Canada. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment rose 1.1%, or 197,000. Almost all of this growth was in full-time employment, up 181,000 (+1.3%), while part-time employment edged up. Total hours worked rose 1.6% over the same period.
- More Working and Higher Unemployment in April (2012)! Compared with 12 months earlier, employment was up 1.2% or 214,000. All of the growth over the 12 months was in full-time work, up 217,000 (+1.6%), while part-time employment was unchanged. Total hours worked rose 1.5% over the same period.
- Employment for May 2012 About the Same? Compared with 12 months earlier, employment increased 1.2% or 203,000. Virtually all of this growth was in full-time work, up 192,000 (+1.4%). Total hours worked rose 1.3% over the same period.
- Leaking Part-time Jobs in July 2012 in Canada is not a good thing over the summer
- More Jobs in August in Canada? Hot Dang! Good news is always good.
- Employment Boost in September in Canada continued; good news
- No More Jobs in October 2012, but No Less. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment increased 1.3% or 229,000, all in full-time work. The total number of hours worked also rose 1.3% over the same period.
- Yes! More Jobs in Canada in November 2012. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment increased 1.7% or 294,000, mostly in full-time work. Over the same period, total hours worked rose 1.3%.
- More Jobs in Canada in December 2012. Employment rose by 40,000 in December, the fourth increase in five months. December’s increase was all in full-time work. The unemployment rate declined 0.1 percentage points to 7.1%, the lowest in four years.
It may not sound like much but this is a great start, especially considering unemployment accounts for a large percentage of bankruptcies in Canada.