Employment in Canada Increases in December, While Unemployment Continues to Hold Steady

Statistics Canada (StatsCan) reported today (1-7-22) that employment in Canada increased by 55,000, or 0.3%, in December. The growth was led by gains in the goods-producing, construction, and educational services sector. Among males aged 25 to 54, employment increased by 63,000 (1.0%), making it 162,000 (2.5%) higher than in February 2020, pre-pandemic.

The unemployment rate was 5.9% in December, little changed from November, and it remains slightly above its pre-pandemic February 2020 level of 5.7%. The adjusted unemployment — which includes people who wanted a job, but who are not currently actively looking for one — was 7.6%. This is the first return to the pre-pandemic level for this indicator. The number of Canadians unemployed for 27 weeks or more fell for the second consecutive month, down -25,000 (-8.0%).