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April 2009  (Previous release)

Employment grew by 36,000 in April, the result of an increase in self-employment. Despite this increase, overall employment has fallen by 321,000 since the peak in October 2008. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 8.0% in April, remaining at its highest level in seven years, with the growth in employment coinciding with an increase in the labour force.

Employment

The employment gains in April occurred in information, culture and recreation; business, building and other support services; "other services"; and agriculture. Employment was unchanged in manufacturing and construction.

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).

Changes in average hourly wages are affected by shifts in the composition of the Canadian labour force. For example, a drop in employment in low-wage occupations or industries will contribute to an increase in the national average hourly wage.

Since last October, the goods-producing sector has declined sharply (-6.3%). By contrast, employment in the services-producing sector, which is traditionally less sensitive to economic slowdowns, has decreased only slightly (-0.5%) over the same period.

All the employment growth observed in April occurred in Quebec (+22,000) and British Columbia (+17,000), while employment declined in Nova Scotia (-4,100) and Newfoundland and Labrador (-2,800). There was little change in the other provinces.

The increase in employment in April was all in full-time work. Overall employment gains for the month were spread between adult men aged 25 and over, and older women aged 55 and over. Since October, employment has declined among men aged 25 to 54 and youths 15 to 24, whereas it has increased among older workers.

In April, the average hourly wage was 4.3% higher compared with the same month a year earlier.

Unemployment rate

Employment growth in service industries

In April, employment gains occurred in information, culture and recreation (+17,000); business, building and other support services (+15,000); "other services" (+14,000); and agriculture (+9,000).

Since last October, overall employment has declined 1.9% as there were losses in a number of industries. The contraction during this period was especially strong in construction (-8.5%), manufacturing (-6.5%) and natural resources (-5.9%).

Self-employment rose by 37,000 in April, while the number of employees in the public and private sectors was little changed. Since October, self-employment has grown by 1.3%, whereas the number of employees has declined by 2.6% in the private sector and 2.0% in the public sector.

Full-time employment increased by 39,000 in April, while part-time employment was little changed. Full-time employment, however, has decreased by 2.5% since October, while part-time employment has increased slightly (+0.8%).

Quebec and British Columbia post employment gains in April

Quebec's employment increase of 22,000 in April was accompanied by a slight rise in the unemployment rate to 8.4%, the result of more people in the labour force. Since last October, employment in Quebec has declined 0.8%, less than the 1.9% drop at the national level.

In British Columbia, employment rose by 17,000 in April. The unemployment rate remained at 7.4%, as there were more people in the labour force. Despite April's gains, employment has declined by 52,000 (-2.2%) since October 2008.

In Nova Scotia, employment declined by 4,100 in April and the unemployment rate rose 0.3 percentage points to 9.2%. Since October, employment in the province has fallen by 8,200 (-1.8%).

In April, employment held steady in Ontario and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 8.7%, its highest rate since April 1997. Since last October, employment losses in the province totalled 174,000 (-2.6%), more than half of Canada's overall decline.

Employment in Alberta also remained unchanged in April, leaving the decline in employment since October at 42,000 (-2.1%).

Manitoba and Saskatchewan are the only provinces where employment has been little changed since October. In April, these two provinces posted the lowest unemployment rates in Canada, at 4.6% in Manitoba and 5.0% in Saskatchewan.

More adult men and older women aged 55 and over working in April

In April, the increase in employment was spread between adult men aged 25 and over (+25,000) and older women aged 55 and over (+12,000). Since last October, employment has declined for men aged 25 to 54 (-2.9%) and youths aged 15 to 24 (-4.7%), whereas it has increased for older workers (+0.9%).

The unemployment rate for youths declined 0.6 percentage points in April compared with March, the result of a decrease in the participation of youths in the labour force. However, at 14.2%, their unemployment rate continued to be the highest of all age groups.

Available on CANSIM: tables 282-0001 to 282-0042, 282-0047 to 282-0064 and 282-0069 to 282-0100.

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 April 18. From the Publications module of our website, under All subjects, choose Labour. LAN and bulk prices are available on request. The CD-ROM Labour Force Historical Review, 2008 (71F0004X, $209), is now available. See How to order products.

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

The next release of the Labour Force Survey will be on June 5.

For general 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
  March 2009 April 2009 March to April 2009 April 2008 to April 2009 March to April 2009 April 2008 to April 2009
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Both sexes 15+            
Population 27,187.6 27,217.6 30.0 378.4 0.1 1.4
Labour force 18,294.7 18,338.6 43.9 111.3 0.2 0.6
Employment 16,838.1 16,874.0 35.9 -250.9 0.2 -1.5
Full-time 13,617.4 13,656.8 39.4 -351.9 0.3 -2.5
Part-time 3,220.7 3,217.1 -3.6 101.0 -0.1 3.2
Unemployment 1,456.6 1,464.6 8.0 362.2 0.5 32.9
Participation rate 67.3 67.4 0.1 -0.5 ... ...
Unemployment rate 8.0 8.0 0.0 2.0 ... ...
Employment rate 61.9 62.0 0.1 -1.8 ... ...
Part-time rate 19.1 19.1 0.0 0.9 ...  ...
Youths 15 to 24            
Population 4,388.8 4,390.1 1.3 18.8 0.0 0.4
Labour force 2,909.0 2,888.9 -20.1 -84.6 -0.7 -2.8
Employment 2,478.3 2,479.0 0.7 -146.2 0.0 -5.6
Full-time 1,337.1 1,335.2 -1.9 -124.4 -0.1 -8.5
Part-time 1,141.2 1,143.9 2.7 -21.7 0.2 -1.9
Unemployment 430.6 409.8 -20.8 61.5 -4.8 17.7
Participation rate 66.3 65.8 -0.5 -2.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 14.8 14.2 -0.6 2.5 ... ...
Employment rate 56.5 56.5 0.0 -3.6 ... ...
Part-time rate 46.0 46.1 0.1 1.7 ...  ...
Men 25+            
Population 11,145.1 11,159.8 14.7 181.2 0.1 1.7
Labour force 8,146.1 8,184.9 38.8 57.8 0.5 0.7
Employment 7,535.4 7,560.6 25.2 -146.9 0.3 -1.9
Full-time 6,957.4 6,980.7 23.3 -222.6 0.3 -3.1
Part-time 577.9 579.9 2.0 75.7 0.3 15.0
Unemployment 610.7 624.3 13.6 204.8 2.2 48.8
Participation rate 73.1 73.3 0.2 -0.7 ... ...
Unemployment rate 7.5 7.6 0.1 2.4 ... ...
Employment rate 67.6 67.7 0.1 -2.5 ... ...
Part-time rate 7.7 7.7 0.0 1.2 ...  ...
Women 25+            
Population 11,653.6 11,667.7 14.1 178.4 0.1 1.6
Labour force 7,239.6 7,264.9 25.3 138.2 0.3 1.9
Employment 6,824.4 6,834.4 10.0 42.2 0.1 0.6
Full-time 5,322.9 5,341.0 18.1 -4.9 0.3 -0.1
Part-time 1,501.5 1,493.4 -8.1 47.1 -0.5 3.3
Unemployment 415.2 430.4 15.2 95.9 3.7 28.7
Participation rate 62.1 62.3 0.2 0.3 ... ...
Unemployment rate 5.7 5.9 0.2 1.2 ... ...
Employment rate 58.6 58.6 0.0 -0.5 ... ...
Part-time rate 22.0 21.9 -0.1 0.6 ...  ...
not applicable
Note(s):
Related CANSIM table 282-0087.

Table 2

Employment by class of worker and industry (based on NAICS)1
  March 2009 April 2009 March to April 2009 April 2008 to April 2009 March to April 2009 April 2008 to April 2009
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Class of worker            
Employees 14,188.3 14,187.2 -1.1 -312.6 0.0 -2.2
Self-employed 2,649.8 2,686.8 37.0 61.8 1.4 2.4
Public/private sector employees            
Public 3,381.8 3,391.1 9.3 -27.5 0.3 -0.8
Private 10,806.5 10,796.1 -10.4 -285.1 -0.1 -2.6
All industries 16,838.1 16,874.0 35.9 -250.9 0.2 -1.5
Goods-producing sector 3,782.7 3,783.5 0.8 -221.5 0.0 -5.5
Agriculture 319.3 328.3 9.0 -3.2 2.8 -1.0
Natural resources 322.9 318.8 -4.1 -21.9 -1.3 -6.4
Utilities 148.7 145.4 -3.3 -3.6 -2.2 -2.4
Construction 1,151.7 1,144.2 -7.5 -86.5 -0.7 -7.0
Manufacturing 1,840.1 1,846.8 6.7 -106.3 0.4 -5.4
Service-producing sector 13,055.4 13,090.5 35.1 -29.3 0.3 -0.2
Trade 2,629.9 2,621.5 -8.4 -69.6 -0.3 -2.6
Transportation and warehousing 843.1 838.8 -4.3 -18.6 -0.5 -2.2
Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing 1,074.9 1,073.4 -1.5 -3.7 -0.1 -0.3
Professional, scientific and technical services 1,186.0 1,191.3 5.3 -6.6 0.4 -0.6
Business, building and other support services 670.4 685.0 14.6 -20.9 2.2 -3.0
Educational services 1,173.8 1,173.5 -0.3 -30.2 0.0 -2.5
Health care and social assistance 1,952.4 1,956.2 3.8 69.6 0.2 3.7
Information, culture and recreation 747.3 764.4 17.1 2.1 2.3 0.3
Accommodation and food services 1,068.6 1,074.4 5.8 -2.7 0.5 -0.3
Other services 783.6 797.6 14.0 62.0 1.8 8.4
Public administration 925.4 914.5 -10.9 -10.7 -1.2 -1.2
North American Industrial Classification System.
Note(s):
Related to CANSIM tables 282-0088 and 282-0089.

Table 3

Labour force characteristics by province
  March 2009 April 2009 March to April 2009 April 2008 to April 2009 March to April 2009 April 2008 to April 2009
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Newfoundland and Labrador            
Population 428.0 428.1 0.1 2.5 0.0 0.6
Labour force 254.3 251.0 -3.3 -5.9 -1.3 -2.3
Employment 217.0 214.2 -2.8 -8.8 -1.3 -3.9
Full-time 185.2 184.2 -1.0 -4.5 -0.5 -2.4
Part-time 31.8 30.0 -1.8 -4.3 -5.7 -12.5
Unemployment 37.3 36.8 -0.5 3.0 -1.3 8.9
Participation rate 59.4 58.6 -0.8 -1.8 ... ...
Unemployment rate 14.7 14.7 0.0 1.5 ... ...
Employment rate 50.7 50.0 -0.7 -2.4 ... ...
Prince Edward Island            
Population 115.4 115.5 0.1 1.5 0.1 1.3
Labour force 77.6 78.2 0.6 -1.1 0.8 -1.4
Employment 68.7 68.6 -0.1 -1.9 -0.1 -2.7
Full-time 58.4 57.7 -0.7 -1.9 -1.2 -3.2
Part-time 10.3 10.8 0.5 -0.1 4.9 -0.9
Unemployment 8.9 9.7 0.8 0.8 9.0 9.0
Participation rate 67.2 67.7 0.5 -1.9 ... ...
Unemployment rate 11.5 12.4 0.9 1.2 ... ...
Employment rate 59.5 59.4 -0.1 -2.4 ... ...
Nova Scotia            
Population 771.6 771.9 0.3 4.2 0.0 0.5
Labour force 497.7 495.0 -2.7 5.1 -0.5 1.0
Employment 453.4 449.3 -4.1 -3.0 -0.9 -0.7
Full-time 370.4 367.5 -2.9 -2.3 -0.8 -0.6
Part-time 82.9 81.8 -1.1 -0.6 -1.3 -0.7
Unemployment 44.3 45.7 1.4 8.0 3.2 21.2
Participation rate 64.5 64.1 -0.4 0.3 ... ...
Unemployment rate 8.9 9.2 0.3 1.5 ... ...
Employment rate 58.8 58.2 -0.6 -0.7 ... ...
New Brunswick            
Population 620.5 620.9 0.4 3.9 0.1 0.6
Labour force 403.1 399.9 -3.2 0.0 -0.8 0.0
Employment 364.7 364.3 -0.4 -1.9 -0.1 -0.5
Full-time 306.0 306.5 0.5 -1.7 0.2 -0.6
Part-time 58.7 57.8 -0.9 -0.2 -1.5 -0.3
Unemployment 38.4 35.6 -2.8 1.9 -7.3 5.6
Participation rate 65.0 64.4 -0.6 -0.4 ... ...
Unemployment rate 9.5 8.9 -0.6 0.5 ... ...
Employment rate 58.8 58.7 -0.1 -0.7 ... ...
Quebec            
Population 6,416.1 6,421.1 5.0 62.2 0.1 1.0
Labour force 4,181.7 4,210.8 29.1 29.4 0.7 0.7
Employment 3,835.5 3,857.9 22.4 -9.8 0.6 -0.3
Full-time 3,110.2 3,131.1 20.9 -22.4 0.7 -0.7
Part-time 725.2 726.8 1.6 12.5 0.2 1.7
Unemployment 346.3 352.9 6.6 39.3 1.9 12.5
Participation rate 65.2 65.6 0.4 -0.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 8.3 8.4 0.1 0.9 ... ...
Employment rate 59.8 60.1 0.3 -0.7 ... ...
not applicable
Note(s):
Related CANSIM table 282-0087.

Table 4

Labour force characteristics by province
  March 2009 April 2009 March to April 2009 April 2008 to April 2009 March to April 2009 April 2008 to April 2009
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Ontario            
Population 10,614.3 10,625.4 11.1 151.0 0.1 1.4
Labour force 7,168.4 7,166.3 -2.1 18.0 0.0 0.3
Employment 6,548.1 6,545.1 -3.0 -151.7 0.0 -2.3
Full-time 5,277.1 5,283.2 6.1 -184.5 0.1 -3.4
Part-time 1,271.0 1,261.9 -9.1 32.8 -0.7 2.7
Unemployment 620.4 621.2 0.8 169.7 0.1 37.6
Participation rate 67.5 67.4 -0.1 -0.8 ... ...
Unemployment rate 8.7 8.7 0.0 2.4 ... ...
Employment rate 61.7 61.6 -0.1 -2.3 ... ...
Manitoba            
Population 918.0 919.3 1.3 12.0 0.1 1.3
Labour force 636.0 633.3 -2.7 -2.2 -0.4 -0.3
Employment 603.7 604.2 0.5 -6.9 0.1 -1.1
Full-time 495.4 497.4 2.0 6.5 0.4 1.3
Part-time 108.3 106.8 -1.5 -13.4 -1.4 -11.1
Unemployment 32.3 29.1 -3.2 4.7 -9.9 19.3
Participation rate 69.3 68.9 -0.4 -1.1 ... ...
Unemployment rate 5.1 4.6 -0.5 0.8 ... ...
Employment rate 65.8 65.7 -0.1 -1.7 ... ...
Saskatchewan            
Population 776.3 777.1 0.8 13.4 0.1 1.8
Labour force 545.4 547.4 2.0 14.7 0.4 2.8
Employment 519.8 520.1 0.3 10.3 0.1 2.0
Full-time 421.4 421.2 -0.2 1.5 0.0 0.4
Part-time 98.5 99.0 0.5 8.9 0.5 9.9
Unemployment 25.6 27.3 1.7 4.4 6.6 19.2
Participation rate 70.3 70.4 0.1 0.6 ... ...
Unemployment rate 4.7 5.0 0.3 0.7 ... ...
Employment rate 67.0 66.9 -0.1 0.1 ... ...
Alberta            
Population 2,841.7 2,847.9 6.2 64.1 0.2 2.3
Labour force 2,110.1 2,119.5 9.4 43.1 0.4 2.1
Employment 1,987.2 1,992.9 5.7 -14.4 0.3 -0.7
Full-time 1,632.9 1,635.6 2.7 -56.5 0.2 -3.3
Part-time 354.3 357.3 3.0 42.2 0.8 13.4
Unemployment 123.0 126.6 3.6 57.5 2.9 83.2
Participation rate 74.3 74.4 0.1 -0.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 5.8 6.0 0.2 2.7 ... ...
Employment rate 69.9 70.0 0.1 -2.1 ... ...
British Columbia            
Population 3,685.8 3,690.4 4.6 63.5 0.1 1.8
Labour force 2,420.2 2,437.1 16.9 10.1 0.7 0.4
Employment 2,240.1 2,257.4 17.3 -62.8 0.8 -2.7
Full-time 1,760.0 1,772.2 12.2 -85.8 0.7 -4.6
Part-time 480.1 485.1 5.0 22.9 1.0 5.0
Unemployment 180.1 179.8 -0.3 73.0 -0.2 68.4
Participation rate 65.7 66.0 0.3 -0.9 ... ...
Unemployment rate 7.4 7.4 0.0 3.0 ... ...
Employment rate 60.8 61.2 0.4 -2.8 ... ...
not applicable
Note(s):
Related CANSIM table 282-0087.