Unemployment Down In Most Maritime Cities
SAINT JOHN — Unemployment held steady at 5.2 percent while employment rose 0.6 percent in October, Statistics Canada reports.
Approximately 108,000 jobs were added to the Canadian economy last month in manufacturing, construction, accommodation, and food services, with private sector employment rising for the first time since March.
Labour force participation increases accounted for many of the new jobs, with immigrants leading the way. These gains brought employment back on par with the most recent peak observed in May of 2022.
Natural resources, wholesale, and retail trade saw a fall in employment while public sector and self-employment numbers held steady.
Employment among men and women aged 25 to 54 increased in October, while other ages were unchanged.
The agency reports that employment increased in six provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, with little change in employment noted in the other provinces.
Ontario and Quebec led the way with the gains, with increases of 43,000 jobs and 28,000 jobs respectively. Much of Ontario’s gains were in part-time work.
The unemployment rate in Ontario remained at 5.9 percent while in Quebec it fell 0.3 percentage points to 4.1 percent.
Jobless Rate Down In Most Maritime Cities
Closer to home, unemployment fell in most of Atlantic Canada’s main cities but remained higher than the national average.
Saint John’s unemployment rate fell 0.6 percentage points from September to October to land at 6.5 percent. Over that time, 1,800 jobs were created in the city. Moncton, meanwhile, saw its jobless rate fall by 0.2 percentage points to 5.6 percent, as 100 new jobs were created.
In Halifax, the unemployment rate climbed by half a percentage point last month, to 5.5 percent. The city shed a total of 600 jobs in October.