Canada lost 42,000 jobs in August while unemployment stayed at 6.4 per cent. Manufacturing added 22,000 positions as employment fell in business and building support services. Annual wage growth stood at 2.0 per cent. After the summer's gains, Indeed job postings had levelled off following their spring increase, and the share of long-term unemployed reached 24 per cent.
Canada's employment fell by 42,000 people, or 0.2 per cent, from the previous month in August, while the unemployment rate remained at 6.4 per cent. The decline followed a succession of summer gains; employment was still above its year-earlier level and the three-month average gain remained positive. Employees' average hourly wages rose 2.0 per cent over the year.[1], [2]
Manufacturing was the only sector with a significant employment increase in August, adding 22,000 positions, a rise of 1.2 per cent. Business, building and other support services lost 20,000 positions, or 2.8 per cent. Over the year, health care and social assistance recorded a gain of 129,000 jobs, or 4.5 per cent. Employment moved in different directions across sectors during the overall decline; the manufacturing increase did not offset the nationwide losses.[1]
Overall hiring activity measured by Indeed levelled off after its spring increase. Manufacturing and Saint John postings had recovered, while Windsor postings held up. Youth unemployment was down 1.4 percentage points from a year earlier, but the share of long-term unemployed rose to 24 per cent in August. Potential effects of renewed trade tensions with the US are not yet reflected in the August figures.[2]
