Workplace Challenges
Unemployment rate rises slightlyThe country's jobless rate rose slightly last month as the labour market lost 5,500 jobs and more people searched for work, Statistics Canada reported Friday. But the overall job picture is still bright for the entire year, with an overall growth of 210,000 jobs since January. LINDA WHITE |
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 [ 2006-08-09 ] |
A jump in the number of people entering the labour force in search of work last month pushed the unemployment rate up 0.3 percentage points to 6.4%, still among the lowest in 30 years, Statscan says in its monthly Labour Force Survey.
Though there were increases in full-time employment in July, they were offset by declines in part-time jobs. Ontario and British Columbia accounted for the majority of the increase in labour force participation, but for the second consecutive month, employment was little changed in almost all provinces.
Since the start of the year, the rate of employment growth in Alberta has been three times higher than the national average at 3.9%. Newfoundland and Labrador still has the highest unemployment rate among the provinces, at 14.6%.
Employment in Ontario is up 1.3% over the first seven months of the year, despite little change in recent months. Thanks to a substantial increase in the number of people looking for work, the unemployment rate edged up 0.6 percentage points to 6.5%.
The construction industry was the month's top performer, with an increase of 22,000 jobs. The lion's share of those jobs was in British Columbia. The number of people working in public administration was up 19,000 -- mostly at the federal and municipal levels. Despite that increase, the number of people working in that industry has levelled off so far this year.
Once again, the goods-producing sector was a weak spot, especially in the industrial heartland of Central Canada. Employment in manufacturing fell by 33,000 last month, bringing total losses since the end of 2002 to 224,000.
Employment in transportation and warehousing dropped 17,000 last month, the second significant decrease since the start of the year. Employment growth in this sector has remained flat over the past 12 months.
Average hourly wages were up 3.7% from July of last year, outpacing the most recent year-over-year increase of 2.5% in the Consumer Price Index. Pay rates have jumped the most in Alberta in the past year, rising 7.4% in 12 months. Wages have surged a whopping 9.3% in Calgary in that time.
The job picture has been bright for most students, despite a sluggish start in May and June. The summer job market for students aged 20 to 24 picked up speed in July. Compared to a year earlier, a greater share of these students was employed (75.2%), up 2.2 percentage points. About two-thirds of those students worked full time this July and their unemployment rate dropped 3.2 percentage points for this time last year to 5%, a 17-year low for July.
For teens aged 17 to 19, the employment rate increased 2.8 percentage points to 66.6% compared to July 2005. Things weren't quite so rosy for younger teens aged 15 to 16. The employment rate among this group dropped by 0.7 percentage points to 37.3% compared to the same time last year.
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