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August 2010 (Previous release)

Employment increased by 36,000 in August. At the same time, the unemployment rate edged up 0.1 percentage points to 8.1%, as more people entered the labour force.

Employment

Monthly gains in employment averaged 13,000 in July and August, compared with an average monthly increase of 51,000 during the first six months of the year.

Employment in educational services increased by 68,000 in August, rebounding from a decline of a similar magnitude the previous month. Similar offsetting movements in employment have occurred in this sector in recent summers (see Note to readers). With this gain in August, employment in this industry is back to levels observed during the first six months of the year.

There were also increases in professional, scientific and technical services and in natural resources in August. These gains, however, were dampened by losses in manufacturing; business, building and other support services; and information, culture and recreation.

Note to readers

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates are based on a sample, and are therefore subject to sampling variability. Estimates for smaller geographic areas or industries will have more variability. For an explanation of sampling variability of estimates, and how to use standard errors to assess this variability, consult the "Data quality" section of the publication Labour Force Information (71-001-X, free).

Seasonal adjustment and educational services

Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted data, which facilitates comparisons by removing the effects of seasonal variations.

The LFS seasonal adjustment process removes the "average" seasonal pattern in the monthly data, according to trends seen in the previous seven years. While there have been large movements in educational services employment in July and August in recent years, there has not been a consistent pattern in the direction or magnitude of these changes over the seven-year period.

The most notable employment gains in August were in Quebec, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador, while employment was little changed in the other provinces.

In August, full-time employment rose by 80,000 while part-time declined by 44,000. However, since the start of the upward trend in employment in July 2009, growth in part-time employment (+4.1%) has outpaced that of full-time (+2.2%).

August's employment increase was among both men and women aged 25 and over.

The average hourly wage for employees rose by 2.3% in August compared with the same month a year earlier.

Unemployment rate

Gains driven by service sector in August

With increases of 68,000 in August, employment in educational services rebounded from a decline of a similar magnitude the previous month. Large monthly movements in educational services employment have been seen in recent summers (see Note to readers).

There were also gains in professional, scientific and technical services in August (+28,000). This industry recorded the highest growth rate of all major industry groups since July 2009, at 9.9% (+119,000).

Construction employment (+12,000) edged up in August, continuing the upward trend started in July 2009. Over this period, employment in this industry has grown by 9.6% or 109,000, the second highest growth rate of the major industry groups.

Natural resources posted employment gains of 9,000 in August, bringing total gains since July 2009 to 27,000 (+8.4%).

Manufacturing employment declined by 26,000 in August, offsetting the increase the previous month. Employment in this industry has been stable since July 2009.

In August, employment fell by 19,000 in business, building and other support services and by 18,000 in information, culture and recreation.

There were increases in the public sector (+58,000) and in self-employment (+18,000) in August, while there were declines among private sector employees (-40,000). Since July 2009, employment has grown by 4.3% in the public sector, 2.9% in the private sector, while self-employment edged down by 0.8%.

Notable gains in Quebec, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador

Quebec posted employment gains of 19,000 in August. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 8.2%, as more people entered the labour force. Since July 2009, employment growth of 3.0% (+115,000) in this province has been above the national average of 2.6%.

In Saskatchewan, employment rose by 5,400 in August, pushing the unemployment rate down 0.3 percentage points to 4.8%, the lowest in the country. Employment gains since July 2009 have totalled 13,000 (+2.4%).

In August, there were gains of 3,600 in Newfoundland and Labrador and the unemployment rate fell by 1.0 percentage point to 14.0%. This province has had the fastest rate of employment growth of all provinces since July 2009, at 5.0% (+11,000).

Employment in Ontario was little changed in August. The unemployment rate in this province was 8.8%, up 0.3 percentage points from the previous month, the result of an increase in the number of people in the labour force. Since July 2009, employment has increased by 2.7% (+178,000).

Employment up among adult workers in August

All of the employment gains in August were among workers aged 25 and over, up 20,000 for women and 18,000 for men. The unemployment rate was little changed for both groups, at 6.3% for women, and 7.4% for men.

There was little employment change among youths in August. The unemployment rate for 15 to 24 year-olds increased by 0.5 percentage points to 14.6%, as more youths looked for work.

Since July 2009, employment has increased at a much faster pace for workers aged 55 and over (+6.2%) than for youths (+1.9%) and workers aged 25 to 54 (+1.8%).

Summer labour market challenging for students

From May to August, the Labour Force Survey collects labour market information about young people aged 15 to 24 who were attending school full time in March and intend to return to school in the fall. The published estimates are not seasonally adjusted; therefore, comparisons can only be made on a year-over-year basis.

The 2010 summer labour market was challenging for students aged 15 to 24, with an average unemployment rate of 16.8% from May to August. Although an improvement from the summer of 2009, when the unemployment rate was 19.2%, it remains high compared with that of the summer of 2008, when the rate was 13.6%.

Older students fared better than their younger counterparts during the summer of 2010. The percentage of 20 to 24 year-olds employed averaged 66.5% in the summer of 2010, compared with 63.0% in the summer of 2009. In contrast, the percentage of 15 to 19 year-olds working declined slightly, from 42.8% to 42.5%.

The average number of hours worked during the summer of 2010 by students was 23.6 hours per week, among the lowest since data were first collected in 1977.

Available on CANSIM: tables 282-0001 to 282-0042, 282-0047 to 282-0064 and 282-0069 to 282-0108.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3701.

A more detailed summary, Labour Force Information (71-001-X, free), is now available online for the week ending August 21. From the Key resource module of our website under Publications, choose All subjects, then Labour. LAN and bulk prices are available on request. The DVD-ROM Labour Force Historical Review, 2009 (71F0004X, $209) is now available. See How to order products.

Data tables are also now available online. From the Subject module of our website, choose Labour.

The next release of the Labour Force Survey will be on October 8.

For more information, or to order data, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-866-873-8788; 613-951-4090; labour@statcan.gc.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Vincent Ferrao (613-951-4750; vincent.ferrao@statcan.gc.ca) or Jeannine Usalcas (613-951-4720; jeannine.usalcas@statcan.gc.ca), Labour Statistics Division.

Table 1

Labour force characteristics by age and sex
  July 2010 August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Both sexes, 15 years and over            
Population 27,735.2 27,779.5 44.3 421.1 0.2 1.5
Labour force 18,673.6 18,727.1 53.5 306.5 0.3 1.7
Employment 17,180.5 17,216.3 35.8 396.3 0.2 2.4
Full-time 13,745.6 13,825.5 79.9 294.0 0.6 2.2
Part-time 3,434.9 3,390.8 -44.1 102.3 -1.3 3.1
Unemployment 1,493.1 1,510.9 17.8 -89.7 1.2 -5.6
Participation rate 67.3 67.4 0.1 0.1 ... ...
Unemployment rate 8.0 8.1 0.1 -0.6 ... ...
Employment rate 61.9 62.0 0.1 0.5 ... ...
Part-time rate 20.0 19.7 -0.3 0.1 ...  ...
Youths, 15 to 24 years            
Population 4,407.4 4,408.9 1.5 12.1 0.0 0.3
Labour force 2,846.2 2,862.5 16.3 2.1 0.6 0.1
Employment 2,445.5 2,443.5 -2.0 48.5 -0.1 2.0
Full-time 1,247.8 1,242.2 -5.6 29.2 -0.4 2.4
Part-time 1,197.7 1,201.3 3.6 19.3 0.3 1.6
Unemployment 400.7 419.0 18.3 -46.4 4.6 -10.0
Participation rate 64.6 64.9 0.3 -0.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 14.1 14.6 0.5 -1.7 ... ...
Employment rate 55.5 55.4 -0.1 0.9 ... ...
Part-time rate 49.0 49.2 0.2 -0.2 ...  ...
Men, 25 years and over            
Population 11,411.8 11,433.0 21.2 204.8 0.2 1.8
Labour force 8,392.5 8,420.1 27.6 152.8 0.3 1.8
Employment 7,776.8 7,794.8 18.0 209.6 0.2 2.8
Full-time 7,124.5 7,179.2 54.7 174.9 0.8 2.5
Part-time 652.3 615.7 -36.6 34.8 -5.6 6.0
Unemployment 615.6 625.3 9.7 -56.8 1.6 -8.3
Participation rate 73.5 73.6 0.1 0.0 ... ...
Unemployment rate 7.3 7.4 0.1 -0.9 ... ...
Employment rate 68.1 68.2 0.1 0.6 ... ...
Part-time rate 8.4 7.9 -0.5 0.2 ...  ...
Women, 25 years and over            
Population 11,916.0 11,937.6 21.6 204.2 0.2 1.7
Labour force 7,434.9 7,444.5 9.6 151.7 0.1 2.1
Employment 6,958.1 6,977.9 19.8 138.1 0.3 2.0
Full-time 5,373.3 5,404.1 30.8 90.0 0.6 1.7
Part-time 1,584.9 1,573.8 -11.1 48.1 -0.7 3.2
Unemployment 476.8 466.6 -10.2 13.6 -2.1 3.0
Participation rate 62.4 62.4 0.0 0.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 6.4 6.3 -0.1 0.1 ... ...
Employment rate 58.4 58.5 0.1 0.2 ... ...
Part-time rate 22.8 22.6 -0.2 0.3 ...  ...
not applicable
Note(s):
Related CANSIM table 282-0087.

Table 2

Employment by class of worker and industry (based on NAICS)1
  July 2010 August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Class of worker            
Employees 14,490.0 14,507.6 17.6 409.0 0.1 2.9
Self-employed 2,690.5 2,708.7 18.2 -12.7 0.7 -0.5
Public/private sector employees            
Public 3,498.2 3,555.7 57.5 158.4 1.6 4.7
Private 10,991.8 10,951.9 -39.9 250.5 -0.4 2.3
All industries 17,180.5 17,216.3 35.8 396.3 0.2 2.4
Goods-producing sector 3,777.3 3,769.1 -8.2 98.4 -0.2 2.7
Agriculture 306.1 302.1 -4.0 -15.8 -1.3 -5.0
Natural resources 332.1 341.4 9.3 23.9 2.8 7.5
Utilities 148.5 148.8 0.3 6.6 0.2 4.6
Construction 1,226.5 1,238.5 12.0 90.3 1.0 7.9
Manufacturing 1,764.0 1,738.4 -25.6 -6.5 -1.5 -0.4
Services-producing sector 13,403.2 13,447.1 43.9 297.8 0.3 2.3
Trade 2,702.0 2,696.7 -5.3 27.5 -0.2 1.0
Transportation and warehousing 810.6 804.1 -6.5 -11.6 -0.8 -1.4
Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing 1,092.3 1,091.0 -1.3 -23.3 -0.1 -2.1
Professional, scientific and technical services 1,291.6 1,319.9 28.3 106.9 2.2 8.8
Business, building and other support services 694.5 675.8 -18.7 33.5 -2.7 5.2
Educational services 1,163.7 1,232.1 68.4 55.0 5.9 4.7
Health care and social assistance 2,062.8 2,062.5 -0.3 115.1 0.0 5.9
Information, culture and recreation 779.9 761.8 -18.1 -32.5 -2.3 -4.1
Accommodation and food services 1,070.1 1,060.9 -9.2 15.2 -0.9 1.5
Other services 766.9 766.5 -0.4 -31.4 -0.1 -3.9
Public administration 968.9 975.8 6.9 43.3 0.7 4.6
North American Industry Classification System.
Note(s):
Related to CANSIM tables 282-0088 and 282-0089.

Table 3

Labour force characteristics by province
  July 2010 August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Newfoundland and Labrador            
Population 431.6 431.9 0.3 2.7 0.1 0.6
Labour force 258.7 259.9 1.2 4.3 0.5 1.7
Employment 219.8 223.4 3.6 8.4 1.6 3.9
Full-time 184.5 189.1 4.6 2.9 2.5 1.6
Part-time 35.4 34.2 -1.2 5.4 -3.4 18.8
Unemployment 38.8 36.5 -2.3 -4.1 -5.9 -10.1
Participation rate 59.9 60.2 0.3 0.6 ... ...
Unemployment rate 15.0 14.0 -1.0 -1.9 ... ...
Employment rate 50.9 51.7 0.8 1.6 ... ...
Prince Edward Island            
Population 117.4 117.7 0.3 1.3 0.3 1.1
Labour force 80.5 81.1 0.6 1.9 0.7 2.4
Employment 71.8 72.0 0.2 3.5 0.3 5.1
Full-time 58.0 58.8 0.8 3.7 1.4 6.7
Part-time 13.8 13.2 -0.6 -0.2 -4.3 -1.5
Unemployment 8.7 9.1 0.4 -1.6 4.6 -15.0
Participation rate 68.6 68.9 0.3 0.9 ... ...
Unemployment rate 10.8 11.2 0.4 -2.3 ... ...
Employment rate 61.2 61.2 0.0 2.4 ... ...
Nova Scotia            
Population 776.3 776.8 0.5 4.0 0.1 0.5
Labour force 505.4 504.9 -0.5 5.4 -0.1 1.1
Employment 458.2 455.6 -2.6 2.4 -0.6 0.5
Full-time 366.3 365.6 -0.7 -4.8 -0.2 -1.3
Part-time 91.9 90.0 -1.9 7.2 -2.1 8.7
Unemployment 47.2 49.3 2.1 3.0 4.4 6.5
Participation rate 65.1 65.0 -0.1 0.4 ... ...
Unemployment rate 9.3 9.8 0.5 0.5 ... ...
Employment rate 59.0 58.7 -0.3 0.1 ... ...
New Brunswick            
Population 624.8 625.2 0.4 3.4 0.1 0.5
Labour force 398.8 403.4 4.6 0.6 1.2 0.1
Employment 363.0 364.8 1.8 -1.4 0.5 -0.4
Full-time 306.9 308.0 1.1 0.2 0.4 0.1
Part-time 56.1 56.7 0.6 -1.7 1.1 -2.9
Unemployment 35.8 38.6 2.8 2.0 7.8 5.5
Participation rate 63.8 64.5 0.7 -0.3 ... ...
Unemployment rate 9.0 9.6 0.6 0.5 ... ...
Employment rate 58.1 58.3 0.2 -0.6 ... ...
Quebec            
Population 6,518.8 6,527.6 8.8 83.3 0.1 1.3
Labour force 4,270.4 4,288.2 17.8 77.9 0.4 1.9
Employment 3,918.8 3,938.2 19.4 109.4 0.5 2.9
Full-time 3,111.6 3,150.8 39.2 39.7 1.3 1.3
Part-time 807.2 787.3 -19.9 69.6 -2.5 9.7
Unemployment 351.6 350.0 -1.6 -31.5 -0.5 -8.3
Participation rate 65.5 65.7 0.2 0.4 ... ...
Unemployment rate 8.2 8.2 0.0 -0.9 ... ...
Employment rate 60.1 60.3 0.2 0.9 ... ...
not applicable
Note(s):
Related CANSIM table 282-0087.

Table 4

Labour force characteristics by province
  July 2010 August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Ontario            
Population 10,823.2 10,840.2 17.0 162.8 0.2 1.5
Labour force 7,302.7 7,326.9 24.2 133.7 0.3 1.9
Employment 6,678.6 6,684.9 6.3 162.0 0.1 2.5
Full-time 5,375.8 5,369.2 -6.6 158.6 -0.1 3.0
Part-time 1,302.7 1,315.7 13.0 3.5 1.0 0.3
Unemployment 624.2 642.0 17.8 -28.3 2.9 -4.2
Participation rate 67.5 67.6 0.1 0.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 8.5 8.8 0.3 -0.5 ... ...
Employment rate 61.7 61.7 0.0 0.6 ... ...
Manitoba            
Population 937.6 939.0 1.4 14.0 0.1 1.5
Labour force 657.4 658.5 1.1 8.5 0.2 1.3
Employment 620.6 621.6 1.0 9.3 0.2 1.5
Full-time 496.0 498.6 2.6 8.0 0.5 1.6
Part-time 124.6 123.0 -1.6 1.3 -1.3 1.1
Unemployment 36.8 36.9 0.1 -0.8 0.3 -2.1
Participation rate 70.1 70.1 0.0 -0.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 5.6 5.6 0.0 -0.2 ... ...
Employment rate 66.2 66.2 0.0 0.0 ... ...
Saskatchewan            
Population 792.1 793.5 1.4 12.5 0.2 1.6
Labour force 554.2 558.2 4.0 12.6 0.7 2.3
Employment 526.0 531.4 5.4 12.7 1.0 2.4
Full-time 424.1 428.5 4.4 13.4 1.0 3.2
Part-time 101.9 102.9 1.0 -0.7 1.0 -0.7
Unemployment 28.1 26.8 -1.3 -0.1 -4.6 -0.4
Participation rate 70.0 70.3 0.3 0.4 ... ...
Unemployment rate 5.1 4.8 -0.3 -0.1 ... ...
Employment rate 66.4 67.0 0.6 0.6 ... ...
Alberta            
Population 2,929.2 2,935.9 6.7 59.9 0.2 2.1
Labour force 2,142.5 2,143.8 1.3 13.5 0.1 0.6
Employment 2,008.6 2,003.9 -4.7 29.0 -0.2 1.5
Full-time 1,635.3 1,646.2 10.9 35.8 0.7 2.2
Part-time 373.2 357.6 -15.6 -6.9 -4.2 -1.9
Unemployment 134.0 140.0 6.0 -15.4 4.5 -9.9
Participation rate 73.1 73.0 -0.1 -1.1 ... ...
Unemployment rate 6.3 6.5 0.2 -0.8 ... ...
Employment rate 68.6 68.3 -0.3 -0.4 ... ...
British Columbia            
Population 3,784.3 3,791.7 7.4 77.2 0.2 2.1
Labour force 2,503.0 2,502.1 -0.9 47.9 0.0 2.0
Employment 2,315.2 2,320.6 5.4 61.0 0.2 2.7
Full-time 1,787.2 1,810.5 23.3 36.3 1.3 2.0
Part-time 528.0 510.1 -17.9 24.8 -3.4 5.1
Unemployment 187.9 181.5 -6.4 -13.1 -3.4 -6.7
Participation rate 66.1 66.0 -0.1 -0.1 ... ...
Unemployment rate 7.5 7.3 -0.2 -0.6 ... ...
Employment rate 61.2 61.2 0.0 0.4 ... ...
not applicable
Note(s):
Related CANSIM table 282-0087.
The Daily, Friday, September 10, 2010. Labour Force Survey g/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> The Daily, Friday, September 10, 2010. Labour Force Survey
Statistics Canada
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Labour Force Survey

Related subjects

August 2010 (Previous release)

Employment increased by 36,000 in August. At the same time, the unemployment rate edged up 0.1 percentage points to 8.1%, as more people entered the labour force.

Employment

Monthly gains in employment averaged 13,000 in July and August, compared with an average monthly increase of 51,000 during the first six months of the year.

Employment in educational services increased by 68,000 in August, rebounding from a decline of a similar magnitude the previous month. Similar offsetting movements in employment have occurred in this sector in recent summers (see Note to readers). With this gain in August, employment in this industry is back to levels observed during the first six months of the year.

There were also increases in professional, scientific and technical services and in natural resources in August. These gains, however, were dampened by losses in manufacturing; business, building and other support services; and information, culture and recreation.

Note to readers

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates are based on a sample, and are therefore subject to sampling variability. Estimates for smaller geographic areas or industries will have more variability. For an explanation of sampling variability of estimates, and how to use standard errors to assess this variability, consult the "Data quality" section of the publication Labour Force Information (71-001-X, free).

Seasonal adjustment and educational services

Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted data, which facilitates comparisons by removing the effects of seasonal variations.

The LFS seasonal adjustment process removes the "average" seasonal pattern in the monthly data, according to trends seen in the previous seven years. While there have been large movements in educational services employment in July and August in recent years, there has not been a consistent pattern in the direction or magnitude of these changes over the seven-year period.

The most notable employment gains in August were in Quebec, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador, while employment was little changed in the other provinces.

In August, full-time employment rose by 80,000 while part-time declined by 44,000. However, since the start of the upward trend in employment in July 2009, growth in part-time employment (+4.1%) has outpaced that of full-time (+2.2%).

August's employment increase was among both men and women aged 25 and over.

The average hourly wage for employees rose by 2.3% in August compared with the same month a year earlier.

Unemployment rate

Gains driven by service sector in August

With increases of 68,000 in August, employment in educational services rebounded from a decline of a similar magnitude the previous month. Large monthly movements in educational services employment have been seen in recent summers (see Note to readers).

There were also gains in professional, scientific and technical services in August (+28,000). This industry recorded the highest growth rate of all major industry groups since July 2009, at 9.9% (+119,000).

Construction employment (+12,000) edged up in August, continuing the upward trend started in July 2009. Over this period, employment in this industry has grown by 9.6% or 109,000, the second highest growth rate of the major industry groups.

Natural resources posted employment gains of 9,000 in August, bringing total gains since July 2009 to 27,000 (+8.4%).

Manufacturing employment declined by 26,000 in August, offsetting the increase the previous month. Employment in this industry has been stable since July 2009.

In August, employment fell by 19,000 in business, building and other support services and by 18,000 in information, culture and recreation.

There were increases in the public sector (+58,000) and in self-employment (+18,000) in August, while there were declines among private sector employees (-40,000). Since July 2009, employment has grown by 4.3% in the public sector, 2.9% in the private sector, while self-employment edged down by 0.8%.

Notable gains in Quebec, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador

Quebec posted employment gains of 19,000 in August. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 8.2%, as more people entered the labour force. Since July 2009, employment growth of 3.0% (+115,000) in this province has been above the national average of 2.6%.

In Saskatchewan, employment rose by 5,400 in August, pushing the unemployment rate down 0.3 percentage points to 4.8%, the lowest in the country. Employment gains since July 2009 have totalled 13,000 (+2.4%).

In August, there were gains of 3,600 in Newfoundland and Labrador and the unemployment rate fell by 1.0 percentage point to 14.0%. This province has had the fastest rate of employment growth of all provinces since July 2009, at 5.0% (+11,000).

Employment in Ontario was little changed in August. The unemployment rate in this province was 8.8%, up 0.3 percentage points from the previous month, the result of an increase in the number of people in the labour force. Since July 2009, employment has increased by 2.7% (+178,000).

Employment up among adult workers in August

All of the employment gains in August were among workers aged 25 and over, up 20,000 for women and 18,000 for men. The unemployment rate was little changed for both groups, at 6.3% for women, and 7.4% for men.

There was little employment change among youths in August. The unemployment rate for 15 to 24 year-olds increased by 0.5 percentage points to 14.6%, as more youths looked for work.

Since July 2009, employment has increased at a much faster pace for workers aged 55 and over (+6.2%) than for youths (+1.9%) and workers aged 25 to 54 (+1.8%).

Summer labour market challenging for students

From May to August, the Labour Force Survey collects labour market information about young people aged 15 to 24 who were attending school full time in March and intend to return to school in the fall. The published estimates are not seasonally adjusted; therefore, comparisons can only be made on a year-over-year basis.

The 2010 summer labour market was challenging for students aged 15 to 24, with an average unemployment rate of 16.8% from May to August. Although an improvement from the summer of 2009, when the unemployment rate was 19.2%, it remains high compared with that of the summer of 2008, when the rate was 13.6%.

Older students fared better than their younger counterparts during the summer of 2010. The percentage of 20 to 24 year-olds employed averaged 66.5% in the summer of 2010, compared with 63.0% in the summer of 2009. In contrast, the percentage of 15 to 19 year-olds working declined slightly, from 42.8% to 42.5%.

The average number of hours worked during the summer of 2010 by students was 23.6 hours per week, among the lowest since data were first collected in 1977.

Available on CANSIM: tables 282-0001 to 282-0042, 282-0047 to 282-0064 and 282-0069 to 282-0108.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3701.

A more detailed summary, Labour Force Information (71-001-X, free), is now available online for the week ending August 21. From the Key resource module of our website under Publications, choose All subjects, then Labour. LAN and bulk prices are available on request. The DVD-ROM Labour Force Historical Review, 2009 (71F0004X, $209) is now available. See How to order products.

Data tables are also now available online. From the Subject module of our website, choose Labour.

The next release of the Labour Force Survey will be on October 8.

For more information, or to order data, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-866-873-8788; 613-951-4090; labour@statcan.gc.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Vincent Ferrao (613-951-4750; vincent.ferrao@statcan.gc.ca) or Jeannine Usalcas (613-951-4720; jeannine.usalcas@statcan.gc.ca), Labour Statistics Division.

Table 1

Labour force characteristics by age and sex
  July 2010 August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Both sexes, 15 years and over            
Population 27,735.2 27,779.5 44.3 421.1 0.2 1.5
Labour force 18,673.6 18,727.1 53.5 306.5 0.3 1.7
Employment 17,180.5 17,216.3 35.8 396.3 0.2 2.4
Full-time 13,745.6 13,825.5 79.9 294.0 0.6 2.2
Part-time 3,434.9 3,390.8 -44.1 102.3 -1.3 3.1
Unemployment 1,493.1 1,510.9 17.8 -89.7 1.2 -5.6
Participation rate 67.3 67.4 0.1 0.1 ... ...
Unemployment rate 8.0 8.1 0.1 -0.6 ... ...
Employment rate 61.9 62.0 0.1 0.5 ... ...
Part-time rate 20.0 19.7 -0.3 0.1 ...  ...
Youths, 15 to 24 years            
Population 4,407.4 4,408.9 1.5 12.1 0.0 0.3
Labour force 2,846.2 2,862.5 16.3 2.1 0.6 0.1
Employment 2,445.5 2,443.5 -2.0 48.5 -0.1 2.0
Full-time 1,247.8 1,242.2 -5.6 29.2 -0.4 2.4
Part-time 1,197.7 1,201.3 3.6 19.3 0.3 1.6
Unemployment 400.7 419.0 18.3 -46.4 4.6 -10.0
Participation rate 64.6 64.9 0.3 -0.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 14.1 14.6 0.5 -1.7 ... ...
Employment rate 55.5 55.4 -0.1 0.9 ... ...
Part-time rate 49.0 49.2 0.2 -0.2 ...  ...
Men, 25 years and over            
Population 11,411.8 11,433.0 21.2 204.8 0.2 1.8
Labour force 8,392.5 8,420.1 27.6 152.8 0.3 1.8
Employment 7,776.8 7,794.8 18.0 209.6 0.2 2.8
Full-time 7,124.5 7,179.2 54.7 174.9 0.8 2.5
Part-time 652.3 615.7 -36.6 34.8 -5.6 6.0
Unemployment 615.6 625.3 9.7 -56.8 1.6 -8.3
Participation rate 73.5 73.6 0.1 0.0 ... ...
Unemployment rate 7.3 7.4 0.1 -0.9 ... ...
Employment rate 68.1 68.2 0.1 0.6 ... ...
Part-time rate 8.4 7.9 -0.5 0.2 ...  ...
Women, 25 years and over            
Population 11,916.0 11,937.6 21.6 204.2 0.2 1.7
Labour force 7,434.9 7,444.5 9.6 151.7 0.1 2.1
Employment 6,958.1 6,977.9 19.8 138.1 0.3 2.0
Full-time 5,373.3 5,404.1 30.8 90.0 0.6 1.7
Part-time 1,584.9 1,573.8 -11.1 48.1 -0.7 3.2
Unemployment 476.8 466.6 -10.2 13.6 -2.1 3.0
Participation rate 62.4 62.4 0.0 0.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 6.4 6.3 -0.1 0.1 ... ...
Employment rate 58.4 58.5 0.1 0.2 ... ...
Part-time rate 22.8 22.6 -0.2 0.3 ...  ...
not applicable
Note(s):
Related CANSIM table 282-0087.

Table 2

Employment by class of worker and industry (based on NAICS)1
  July 2010 August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Class of worker            
Employees 14,490.0 14,507.6 17.6 409.0 0.1 2.9
Self-employed 2,690.5 2,708.7 18.2 -12.7 0.7 -0.5
Public/private sector employees            
Public 3,498.2 3,555.7 57.5 158.4 1.6 4.7
Private 10,991.8 10,951.9 -39.9 250.5 -0.4 2.3
All industries 17,180.5 17,216.3 35.8 396.3 0.2 2.4
Goods-producing sector 3,777.3 3,769.1 -8.2 98.4 -0.2 2.7
Agriculture 306.1 302.1 -4.0 -15.8 -1.3 -5.0
Natural resources 332.1 341.4 9.3 23.9 2.8 7.5
Utilities 148.5 148.8 0.3 6.6 0.2 4.6
Construction 1,226.5 1,238.5 12.0 90.3 1.0 7.9
Manufacturing 1,764.0 1,738.4 -25.6 -6.5 -1.5 -0.4
Services-producing sector 13,403.2 13,447.1 43.9 297.8 0.3 2.3
Trade 2,702.0 2,696.7 -5.3 27.5 -0.2 1.0
Transportation and warehousing 810.6 804.1 -6.5 -11.6 -0.8 -1.4
Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing 1,092.3 1,091.0 -1.3 -23.3 -0.1 -2.1
Professional, scientific and technical services 1,291.6 1,319.9 28.3 106.9 2.2 8.8
Business, building and other support services 694.5 675.8 -18.7 33.5 -2.7 5.2
Educational services 1,163.7 1,232.1 68.4 55.0 5.9 4.7
Health care and social assistance 2,062.8 2,062.5 -0.3 115.1 0.0 5.9
Information, culture and recreation 779.9 761.8 -18.1 -32.5 -2.3 -4.1
Accommodation and food services 1,070.1 1,060.9 -9.2 15.2 -0.9 1.5
Other services 766.9 766.5 -0.4 -31.4 -0.1 -3.9
Public administration 968.9 975.8 6.9 43.3 0.7 4.6
North American Industry Classification System.
Note(s):
Related to CANSIM tables 282-0088 and 282-0089.

Table 3

Labour force characteristics by province
  July 2010 August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Newfoundland and Labrador            
Population 431.6 431.9 0.3 2.7 0.1 0.6
Labour force 258.7 259.9 1.2 4.3 0.5 1.7
Employment 219.8 223.4 3.6 8.4 1.6 3.9
Full-time 184.5 189.1 4.6 2.9 2.5 1.6
Part-time 35.4 34.2 -1.2 5.4 -3.4 18.8
Unemployment 38.8 36.5 -2.3 -4.1 -5.9 -10.1
Participation rate 59.9 60.2 0.3 0.6 ... ...
Unemployment rate 15.0 14.0 -1.0 -1.9 ... ...
Employment rate 50.9 51.7 0.8 1.6 ... ...
Prince Edward Island            
Population 117.4 117.7 0.3 1.3 0.3 1.1
Labour force 80.5 81.1 0.6 1.9 0.7 2.4
Employment 71.8 72.0 0.2 3.5 0.3 5.1
Full-time 58.0 58.8 0.8 3.7 1.4 6.7
Part-time 13.8 13.2 -0.6 -0.2 -4.3 -1.5
Unemployment 8.7 9.1 0.4 -1.6 4.6 -15.0
Participation rate 68.6 68.9 0.3 0.9 ... ...
Unemployment rate 10.8 11.2 0.4 -2.3 ... ...
Employment rate 61.2 61.2 0.0 2.4 ... ...
Nova Scotia            
Population 776.3 776.8 0.5 4.0 0.1 0.5
Labour force 505.4 504.9 -0.5 5.4 -0.1 1.1
Employment 458.2 455.6 -2.6 2.4 -0.6 0.5
Full-time 366.3 365.6 -0.7 -4.8 -0.2 -1.3
Part-time 91.9 90.0 -1.9 7.2 -2.1 8.7
Unemployment 47.2 49.3 2.1 3.0 4.4 6.5
Participation rate 65.1 65.0 -0.1 0.4 ... ...
Unemployment rate 9.3 9.8 0.5 0.5 ... ...
Employment rate 59.0 58.7 -0.3 0.1 ... ...
New Brunswick            
Population 624.8 625.2 0.4 3.4 0.1 0.5
Labour force 398.8 403.4 4.6 0.6 1.2 0.1
Employment 363.0 364.8 1.8 -1.4 0.5 -0.4
Full-time 306.9 308.0 1.1 0.2 0.4 0.1
Part-time 56.1 56.7 0.6 -1.7 1.1 -2.9
Unemployment 35.8 38.6 2.8 2.0 7.8 5.5
Participation rate 63.8 64.5 0.7 -0.3 ... ...
Unemployment rate 9.0 9.6 0.6 0.5 ... ...
Employment rate 58.1 58.3 0.2 -0.6 ... ...
Quebec            
Population 6,518.8 6,527.6 8.8 83.3 0.1 1.3
Labour force 4,270.4 4,288.2 17.8 77.9 0.4 1.9
Employment 3,918.8 3,938.2 19.4 109.4 0.5 2.9
Full-time 3,111.6 3,150.8 39.2 39.7 1.3 1.3
Part-time 807.2 787.3 -19.9 69.6 -2.5 9.7
Unemployment 351.6 350.0 -1.6 -31.5 -0.5 -8.3
Participation rate 65.5 65.7 0.2 0.4 ... ...
Unemployment rate 8.2 8.2 0.0 -0.9 ... ...
Employment rate 60.1 60.3 0.2 0.9 ... ...
not applicable
Note(s):
Related CANSIM table 282-0087.

Table 4

Labour force characteristics by province
  July 2010 August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010 July to August 2010 August 2009 to August 2010
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Ontario            
Population 10,823.2 10,840.2 17.0 162.8 0.2 1.5
Labour force 7,302.7 7,326.9 24.2 133.7 0.3 1.9
Employment 6,678.6 6,684.9 6.3 162.0 0.1 2.5
Full-time 5,375.8 5,369.2 -6.6 158.6 -0.1 3.0
Part-time 1,302.7 1,315.7 13.0 3.5 1.0 0.3
Unemployment 624.2 642.0 17.8 -28.3 2.9 -4.2
Participation rate 67.5 67.6 0.1 0.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 8.5 8.8 0.3 -0.5 ... ...
Employment rate 61.7 61.7 0.0 0.6 ... ...
Manitoba            
Population 937.6 939.0 1.4 14.0 0.1 1.5
Labour force 657.4 658.5 1.1 8.5 0.2 1.3
Employment 620.6 621.6 1.0 9.3 0.2 1.5
Full-time 496.0 498.6 2.6 8.0 0.5 1.6
Part-time 124.6 123.0 -1.6 1.3 -1.3 1.1
Unemployment 36.8 36.9 0.1 -0.8 0.3 -2.1
Participation rate 70.1 70.1 0.0 -0.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 5.6 5.6 0.0 -0.2 ... ...
Employment rate 66.2 66.2 0.0 0.0 ... ...
Saskatchewan            
Population 792.1 793.5 1.4 12.5 0.2 1.6
Labour force 554.2 558.2 4.0 12.6 0.7 2.3
Employment 526.0 531.4 5.4 12.7 1.0 2.4
Full-time 424.1 428.5 4.4 13.4 1.0 3.2
Part-time 101.9 102.9 1.0 -0.7 1.0 -0.7
Unemployment 28.1 26.8 -1.3 -0.1 -4.6 -0.4
Participation rate 70.0 70.3 0.3 0.4 ... ...
Unemployment rate 5.1 4.8 -0.3 -0.1 ... ...
Employment rate 66.4 67.0 0.6 0.6 ... ...
Alberta            
Population 2,929.2 2,935.9 6.7 59.9 0.2 2.1
Labour force 2,142.5 2,143.8 1.3 13.5 0.1 0.6
Employment 2,008.6 2,003.9 -4.7 29.0 -0.2 1.5
Full-time 1,635.3 1,646.2 10.9 35.8 0.7 2.2
Part-time 373.2 357.6 -15.6 -6.9 -4.2 -1.9
Unemployment 134.0 140.0 6.0 -15.4 4.5 -9.9
Participation rate 73.1 73.0 -0.1 -1.1 ... ...
Unemployment rate 6.3 6.5 0.2 -0.8 ... ...
Employment rate 68.6 68.3 -0.3 -0.4 ... ...
British Columbia            
Population 3,784.3 3,791.7 7.4 77.2 0.2 2.1
Labour force 2,503.0 2,502.1 -0.9 47.9 0.0 2.0
Employment 2,315.2 2,320.6 5.4 61.0 0.2 2.7
Full-time 1,787.2 1,810.5 23.3 36.3 1.3 2.0
Part-time 528.0 510.1 -17.9 24.8 -3.4 5.1
Unemployment 187.9 181.5 -6.4 -13.1 -3.4 -6.7
Participation rate 66.1 66.0 -0.1 -0.1 ... ...
Unemployment rate 7.5 7.3 -0.2 -0.6 ... ...
Employment rate 61.2 61.2 0.0 0.4 ... ...
not applicable
Note(s):
Related CANSIM table 282-0087.