Canada's unemployment rate sticks at 43-year low

Andy Blatchford, The Canadian Press</span>
Published Friday, January 4, 2019 8:39AM EST
Last Updated Friday, January 4, 2019 8:57AM EST

OTTAWA -- The unemployment rate stayed at its 43-year low of 5.6 per cent last month as the economy closed out 2018 with the addition of 9,300 net new jobs, Statistics Canada said Friday.

For the second straight month, the jobless rate was at its lowest level since Statistics Canada started measuring comparable data in January 1976.

Economists had expected the addition of 5,500 jobs in December and an unemployment rate of 5.7 per cent, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon.

But even in a tightened job market the latest labour force survey shows wage growth delivered another weak reading in December of 1.49 per cent -- well below inflation.

Year-over-year average hourly wage growth for permanent employees was 1.46 per cent in November -- and it has decelerated steadily since its May peak of 3.9 per cent.

The December result follows a gain of 94,100 net jobs in November, the country's largest monthly increase since March 2012.

In the jobs report Friday, the overall employment gain of 9,300 for December was deemed too low by Statistics Canada to be statistically significant.

But a closer look revealed some important changes.

Alberta, which has been hit hard by a drop in oil prices, saw a net decrease last month of 16,900 jobs or 0.7 per cent, compared with November, as an increase in part-time work was far outweighed by a loss of 36,200 full-time positions.

For all of 2018, employment in Alberta rose 0.9 per cent as the province added 21,600 jobs. The provincial unemployment rate fell from seven per cent at the start of 2018 to 6.4 per cent at the end of the year.

Across the country, Statistics Canada said the country gained 163,300 net new jobs in 2018 for an increase of 0.9 per cent, which was a slower pace of growth compared with 2.3 per cent in 2017 and 1.2 per cent in 2016.

Employment growth in 2018 was concentrated in the services sectors, which generated 151,000 positions compared to an increase of just 12,300 in goods-producing industries.

In 2018, employment for women aged 25 to 54 grew by 125,600 positions or 2.2 per cent, compared to an increase of 60,600 jobs or one per cent for men in the same age category.

The report Friday was the first major economic data release of 2019.

The Bank of Canada has been monitoring wage growth ahead of its interest-rate decisions as it tries to determine how well indebted households can absorb higher borrowing costs.

The central bank, which will make a rate announcement next Wednesday, has raised its benchmark rate five times since the summer of 2017 in response to Canada's strong economic performance. Governor Stephen Poloz has signalled that more increases will be needed to prevent inflation from rising too high.

A quick look at December employment (numbers from the previous month in brackets):

Unemployment rate: 5.6 per cent (5.6)
Employment rate: 61.7 per cent (61.7)
Participation rate: 65.4 per cent (65.4)
Number unemployed: 1,125,100 (1,124,800)
Number working: 18,808,400 (18,799,100)
Youth (15-24 years) unemployment rate: 11.1 per cent (10.8)
Men (25 plus) unemployment rate: 4.9 per cent (5.0)
Women (25 plus) unemployment rate: 4.6 per cent (4.7)

Canada's national unemployment rate was 5.6 per cent in December. Here are the jobless rates last month by province (numbers from the previous month in brackets):

Newfoundland and Labrador 11.7 per cent (12.2)
Prince Edward Island 9.6 (8.5)
Nova Scotia 7.1 (7.0)
New Brunswick 8.4 (7.9)
Quebec 5.5 (5.4)
Ontario 5.4 (5.6)
Manitoba 6.0 (5.7)
Saskatchewan 5.6 (5.5)
Alberta 6.4 (6.3)
British Columbia 4.4 (4.4)

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):