Canada loses 68,000 jobs as youth employment falls
Canada’s September employment decline followed another loss in August, with young people and working-age women among the groups affected. Employment fell by 68,000 and unemployment rose to 6.5 per cent. Public-sector employment fell for a fourth month, while private-sector employment was unchanged. The national total also concealed job gains in Alberta alongside losses in Quebec and British Columbia.
Economics & Markets··Night
Unemployment reaches 6.5 per cent
Canada’s unemployment rate rose to 6.5 per cent in September, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from August. Employment fell again in the monthly labour-market survey.[1], [2]
Statistics Canada, the national statistical agency, put the employment decline at 68,000, or 0.3 per cent, following August’s loss of 42,000. The official survey covered the week of September 13–19. Full-time employment fell by 35,000 and part-time employment by 33,000.[1]
Desjardins’ economic assessment gave the September employment decline as 68,300.[2]
Youth employment falls by 48,000
Employment among people aged 15–24 declined by 48,000, bringing their losses over two months to 67,000. Their labour force also contracted by 50,000, leaving youth unemployment little changed at 13 per cent. Among women aged 25–54, employment fell by 28,000 and unemployment rose to 5.3 per cent. Employment among men of that age was unchanged.[1]
Public-sector employment falls for a fourth month
Public-sector employment declined by 70,000 for a fourth consecutive month; private-sector employment was unchanged. Educational services lost 35,000 jobs, health care and social assistance 23,000, and manufacturing 13,000. Quebec and British Columbia, Canadian provinces, lost 49,000 and 20,000 jobs respectively, while Alberta gained 23,000.[1]
Average hourly wages rose 2.3 per cent over the year to 37.64 Canadian dollars. Wage estimates are not seasonally adjusted, while the main monthly employment comparisons are adjusted.[1]
