Canadian economy added 31,000 jobs in October, unemployment rate hits pandemic-era low - Newstalk 1010 (iHeartRadio)

The economy added 31,000 jobs in October, Statistics Canada reported Friday, bringing the national unemployment rate to a pandemic-era low.

Unemployment came in at 6.7 per cent, down from 6.9 per cent in September, to mark the fifth consecutive monthly decline in the rate.

Statistics Canada says the unemployment rate would have been 8.7 per cent in October, down from 8.9 per cent in September, had it not included in calculations Canadians who wanted to work but didn't search for a job.

Gains were seen across a number of industries, including the hard-hit retail sector, but offset by declines elsewhere, such as accommodation and food services.

Retail trade added 72,000 jobs in October that Statistics Canada notes pushed the industry back to its pre-pandemic levels for the first time since March.

The statistics agency also notes a decline in self-employment, but suggests some of those moved to more permanent and in-demand jobs like in the professional, scientific and technical services sector.

Statistics Canada also says the ranks of Canada's long-term unemployed, those who have been out of work for six months or more, was little changed in October at almost 380,000.

Leah Nord, senior director of workforce strategies for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, says October's jobs report points to the uphill climb that remains before the labour market fully heals from COVID-19.

She notes that there are almost 900,000 job vacancies that need to be filled, adding that task is going to be more difficult than recovering the three million jobs lost at the onset of the pandemic, which the country achieved in September.

"The fact is the hard part begins now," she says in a statement.

"Talent is an issue in every sector, at every level of the value chain, in every part of the country, and there's no silver-bullet-fix at hand."

A quick look at Canada's October employment (numbers from the previous month in brackets):

• Unemployment rate: 6.7 per cent (6.9)
• Employment rate: 61.0 per cent (60.9)
• Participation rate: 65.3 per cent (65.5)
• Number unemployed: 1,365,600 (1,421,800)
• Number working: 19,162,400 (19,131,200)
• Youth (15-24 years) unemployment rate: 10.2 per cent (11.3)
• Men (25 plus) unemployment rate: 6.3 per cent (6.4)
• Women (25 plus) unemployment rate: 5.8 per cent (5.9)

Here are the jobless rates last month by province (numbers from the previous month in brackets):

• Newfoundland and Labrador 13.9 per cent (13.1)
• Prince Edward Island 9.1 per cent (11.3)
• Nova Scotia 8.3 per cent (8.0)
• New Brunswick 9.1 per cent (9.3)
• Quebec 5.6 per cent (5.7)
• Ontario 7.0 per cent (7.3)
• Manitoba 5.3 per cent (5.6)
• Saskatchewan 6.2 per cent (6.3)
• Alberta 7.6 per cent (8.1)
• British Columbia 5.6 per cent (5.9)

 

Statistics Canada also released seasonally adjusted, three-month moving average unemployment rates for major cities. It cautions, however, that the figures may fluctuate widely because they are based on small statistical samples. Here are the jobless rates last month by city (numbers from the previous month in brackets):

• St. John's, N.L. 6.4 per cent (6.3)
• Halifax 6.5 per cent (7.0)
• Moncton, N.B. 6.9 per cent (6.4)
• Saint John, N.B. 8.3 per cent (8.7)
• Saguenay, Que. 5.1 per cent (5.3)
• Quebec City 3.8 per cent (4.1)
• Sherbrooke, Que. 4.2 per cent (4.5)
• Trois-Rivieres, Que. 4.8 per cent (5.1)
• Montreal 6.4 per cent (6.7)
• Gatineau, Que. 3.9 per cent (4.4)
• Ottawa 5.4 per cent (5.9)
• Kingston, Ont. 6.7 per cent (7.2)
• Peterborough, Ont. 7.2 per cent (6.6)
• Oshawa, Ont. 7.5 per cent (7.6)
• Toronto 8.4 per cent (8.9)
• Hamilton, Ont. 6.1 per cent (6.3)
• St. Catharines-Niagara, Ont. 7.3 per cent (8.2)
• Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ont. 6.7 per cent (7.2)
• Brantford, Ont. 7.2 per cent (6.1)
• Guelph, Ont. 5.1 per cent (6.0)
• London, Ont. 6.7 per cent (7.3)
• Windsor, Ont. 9.2 per cent (10.4)
• Barrie, Ont. 5.4 per cent (6.2)
• Greater Sudbury, Ont. 6.9 per cent (8.4)
• Thunder Bay, Ont. 6.4 per cent (6.3)
• Winnipeg 6.1 per cent (6.4)
• Regina 6.1 per cent (6.1)
• Saskatoon 7.1 per cent (7.8)
• Calgary 8.0 per cent (8.9)
• Edmonton 8.0 per cent (8.2)
• Kelowna, B.C. 4.4 per cent (5.4)
• Abbotsford-Mission, B.C. 8.0 per cent (6.9)
• Vancouver 6.2 per cent (6.7)
• Victoria 4.4 per cent (4.2)

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2021

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Canadian economy added 31,000 jobs in October, unemployment rate hits pandemic-era low - Newstalk 1010 (iHeartRadio)
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