Here's How Many Jobs Canada Added in December

As 2018 closed out last month, you may have wondered how the overall economy did last year.

Statistics Canada has released the latest job numbers for Canada, and suffice it to say...not much has changed.

And that’s a good thing.

According to Stats Can, employment held steady in December and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.6 per cent, as shown in this chart.

In comparison, five years ago around the same time in 2013, the unemployment rate was at 7 per cent.

During the last 12 months to December, employment increased by 163,000 (+0.9 per cent), entirely driven by gains in full-time work (+185,000 or +1.2 per cent). Over the same period, total hours worked rose 0.9 per cent.

Here in Ontario, employment grew by 78,000 (+1.1 per cent) in 2018, all in full-time work. The unemployment rate in the province edged down 0.2 percentage points to 5.4 per cent, the second lowest rate among the provinces.

Employment gains were recorded in several industries, led by transportation and warehousing, and educational services. These gains were partially offset by declines in wholesale and retail trade as well as in information, culture and recreation.

The number of private sector employees increased (+101,000 or +0.8 per cent), while public sector employment was little changed.

Among the core-working-age population (aged 25 to 54), employment in 2018 increased more notably for women (+126,000 or +2.2 per cent) than for men (+61,000 or +1 per cent). At year end, the unemployment rate among this age group was 4.6 per cent for women and 4.8 per cent for men.

For all the information from Statistics Canada’s latest job numbers report, click here.