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Labour Force Survey, January 2014

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Released: 2014-02-07

Employment rose by 29,000 in January, the result of an increase in full-time work. The unemployment rate declined 0.2 percentage points to 7.0%.

Over the past 12 months, employment increased 0.8% or 146,000 and the number of hours worked rose 0.7%.

During the same period, the employment rate fell 0.3 percentage points to 61.6% as employment grew at a slower pace than the population.

Chart 1  Chart 1: Employment - Description and data table
Employment

Chart 1: Employment - Description and data table

In January, employment increased in transportation and warehousing, while it declined in business, building and other support services as well as public administration.

The number of self-employed workers rose in January. However, compared with 12 months earlier, all the employment gains were among private sector employees, as there was little change in self-employment and public sector employment.

Employment increased in Prince Edward Island, while it fell in New Brunswick and was little changed in the other provinces.

There were more men aged 25 and over working in January, while employment was virtually unchanged among women and youths.

Chart 2  Chart 2: Unemployment rate - Description and data table
Unemployment rate

Chart 2: Unemployment rate - Description and data table

Industry perspective

In January, there were 15,000 more people employed in transportation and warehousing. Despite this increase, employment in this industry was similar to what it was in January 2013.

The number of people working in business, building and other support services fell by 25,000, bringing employment in this industry back to a level similar to that of 12 months earlier.

There were 16,000 fewer employees in public administration in January. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment in public administration was down 58,000 (-5.9%), making it the only industry with an employment decline over the period.

Over the past 12 months, most of the employment gains were recorded in five industries: professional, scientific and technical services; finance, insurance and real estate and leasing; health care and social assistance; utilities; and natural resources.

Provincial employment

Employment in Prince Edward Island rose by 1,000 in January, and the unemployment rate was 11.3%. On a year-over-year basis, both the employment level and the unemployment rate were virtually unchanged.

The number of people working in New Brunswick fell by 2,400 in January, leaving employment at about the same level as that of 12 months earlier. The unemployment rate in this province was 9.9% in January, down 1.3 percentage points from January 2013, as fewer people searched for work.

Although employment was little changed in Ontario, the unemployment rate fell 0.4 percentage points to 7.5% as fewer people looked for work. On a year-over-year basis, employment in the province rose by 54,000 or 0.8%, the same growth rate as the national average.

In Alberta, employment was virtually unchanged in January. Compared with 12 months earlier, however, employment was up 70,000 (+3.2%), accounting for nearly half of the national gains of 146,000.

Employment gains among men aged 25 and over

For men aged 25 to 54, employment rose by 24,000 in January, and the unemployment rate declined by 0.3 percentage points to 6.1%. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment for this group was little changed.

For men aged 55 and over, employment increased 18,000 and the unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage points to 6.3%. On a year-over-year basis, employment for this group was up 69,000 (+3.8%), mostly as a result of population aging.

Among women aged 25 to 54 and those 55 and over, employment was little changed in January. Compared with January 2013, employment was little changed among women 25 to 54, while it increased by 77,000 or 5.1% for women 55 and over, partly as a result of population aging.

In January, youths aged 15 to 24 saw little change in employment, and their unemployment rate was 13.9%. On a year-over-year basis, youth employment was down 29,000 or 1.2%.



  Note to readers

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling variability. As a result, monthly estimates will show more variability than trends observed over longer time periods. Estimates for smaller geographic areas or industries also 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 (Catalogue number71-001-X).

This analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 68% confidence level.

The employment rate is the number of employed persons as a percentage of the population 15 years of age and over. The rate for a particular group (for example, youths aged 15 to 24) is the number employed in that group as a percentage of the population for that group.

The unemployment rate is the number unemployed as a percentage of the labour force (employed and unemployed).

The participation rate is the number of employed and unemployed as a percentage of the population. For more detailed information, see the Guide to the Labour Force Survey (Catalogue number71-543-G).

Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted estimates, which facilitates comparisons by removing the effects of seasonal variations. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonal adjustment and identifying economic trends.

Annual revision

Seasonally adjusted estimates from the LFS were revised using the latest seasonal factors, going back three years (January 2011 onwards). The revised estimates have been available on CANSIM (tables 282-0087 to 282-0094, 282-0100, 282-0116 and 282-0117) since January 31, 2014.

A more detailed summary, Labour Force Information (Catalogue number71-001-X), is now available online for the week ending January 18. From the Browse by key resource module of our website under Publications, choose All subjects, then Labour.

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

The next release of the Labour Force Survey will be on March 7.

Contact information

For more information, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca).

To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Jason Gilmore (613-951-7118; jason.gilmore@statcan.gc.ca) or Jeannine Usalcas (613-951-4720; jeannine.usalcas@statcan.gc.ca), Labour Statistics Division.

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