Canadian Employment Grows for Third Consecutive Month in August — Unemployment Moves Lower

Statistics Canada (StatsCan) reported today (9-10-11) that employment increased by 90,000 (+0.5%) in August, marking the third consecutive monthly increase. The unemployment rate fell by -0.4% to a reading of 7.1%. Most of August’s employment gains were concentrated in full-time work (+69,000; +0.4%). The increases were mainly in the services-producing industries, led by accommodation and food services, and were spread across multiple demographic groups.

Combined with the June and July gains, the August increase brought employment to within 156,000 (-0.8%) of its February 2020 level, the closest since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The employment rate was 60.5% in August, -1.3% below the pre-pandemic rate.

However, the number of employed people who worked less than half their usual hours was little changed in August and remains elevated when compared with February 2020. Total hours worked were also little changed and were -2.6% below their pre-pandemic level.