Canada Posts Strong Jobs Number

Statistics Canada today released strong employment numbers for January 2023.

Employment increased by 150,000 (+0.8%) in January, and the unemployment rate held steady at 5.0%. The employment numbers beat expectations.

Of note:

1. Employment gains were driven primarily by people aged 25 to 54 (+100,000; +0.8%), split evenly between women and men in this group. Employment also increased among people aged 55 and older (+43,000, +1.0%), while it was little changed among youth aged 15 to 24.
2. The largest employment increases were in Ontario (+63,000; +0.8%), Quebec (+47,000; +1.1%) and Alberta (+21,000; +0.9%). Employment declined in Newfoundland and Labrador (-2,300; -1.0%).
3. There were gains across several industries, led by wholesale and retail trade (+59,000; +2.0%), health care and social assistance (+40,000; +1.5%) and educational services (+18,000; +1.3%). At the same time, employment declined in transportation and warehousing (-17,000; -1.7%).
4. The number of employees grew in both the private (+115,000; +0.9%) and public (+32,000; +0.8%) sectors. The number of self-employed workers was little changed.

The increase in January pushed the employment rate—the percentage of people aged 15 and older who are employed—to 62.5%, a level last observed in April and May 2019.

For more information:

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/230210/dq230210a-eng.htm?HPA=1&indid=3587-2&indgeo=0