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Labour Force Survey

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January 2009 (Previous release)

Employment fell by 129,000 in January (-0.8%), almost all in full time, pushing the unemployment rate up 0.6 percentage points to 7.2%. This drop in employment exceeds any monthly decline during the previous economic downturns of the 1980s and 1990s.

Chart 1

Chart 1

right click the chart to save it.

The loss in January follows other declines in recent months. Since October, employment has fallen by 213,000 (-1.2%), the result of full-time losses.

In January, the drop in employment was most pronounced in manufacturing, where the net loss totalled 101,000. There were declines in a number of other industries as well. The only industry with notable gains was health care and social assistance, where employment increased by 31,000.

Canada's three largest provinces accounted for the entire employment decrease in January. While just over half of employment losses were in Ontario (-71,000), there were also large declines in both British Columbia (-35,000) and Quebec (-26,000). Employment was little changed in all other provinces.

Employment fell mostly among core-age adults, 25 to 54 years, as well as among youths aged 15 to 24.

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-XWE, free).

Revision schedule

Seasonally adjusted estimates from the LFS have been revised using the latest seasonal factors, going back three years (January 2006 onwards). They are available on CANSIM (tables 282-0087 to 282-0094).

Both the public and private sectors experienced employment losses in January. While employment fell by 1.2% in the public sector, the private sector declined by 0.9%.

Compared with a year earlier, average hourly wages of employees was up 4.8% in January. The most recent increase in the Consumer Price Index was 1.2%.

Chart 2

right click the chart to save it.

Manufacturing employment falls sharply in January

Employment fell by 101,000 in the manufacturing sector in January. This was the largest monthly decline in the industry on record. The bulk of January's losses were in Ontario (-36,000), Quebec (-30,000) and British Columbia (-18,000). Factory employment was also down in Alberta and Manitoba.

Manufacturing losses in January were most pronounced in motor vehicle manufacturing. Employment also fell elsewhere in manufacturing in January, including: furniture; computer and electronic; non-metallic mineral product; electrical equipment, appliance and components; and clothing manufacturing.

In January, employment also fell in transportation and warehousing (-30,000), largely in truck transportation in Ontario. Employment in business, building and other support services declined as well in January, with losses totalling 22,000 (-3.2%). Over the last 12 months, employment in business, building and other support services has fallen by 8.2%.

Employment in health care and social assistance bucked the trend in January, up 31,000, with the largest gains in Ontario and Quebec. Since January 2008, health care and social assistance has experienced the fastest employment growth of all industries, up 5.1% (+95,000), with gains in social assistance, nursing and residential care facilities as well as hospitals.

Continued losses in Ontario

Ontario's employment drop of 71,000 in January was its largest in over three decades. This decrease pushed the unemployment rate up 0.8 percentage points to 8.0%, the highest since November 1997. Since October 2008, employment in the province has fallen by 1.9% (-125,000) and the unemployment rate has risen by 1.3 percentage points.

Employment in British Columbia fell in January by 35,000, with gains in part time more than offset by losses in full time. The province's unemployment rate jumped to 6.1%, an increase of 0.8 percentage points. Following a five-year period of sustained growth, construction employment fell for the fourth consecutive month in January, bringing total losses in that industry to 32,000 since its peak in September 2008.

In Quebec, employment fell by 26,000, all in part time, pushing the unemployment rate in January up to 7.7%. January saw large declines in public administration, following gains in December associated with hiring for the provincial election.

Bulk of employment losses among 25 to 54 year olds

Employment fell by 111,000 among the core age group (adults aged 25 to 54), with men accounting for nearly two-thirds of the decline. The unemployment rate for core-age adults jumped 0.8 percentage points to 6.2%, their highest rate since November 2004.

Youths aged 15 to 24 also experienced employment losses in January with a drop of 28,000. At the same time, a large number of youths left the labour force, nudging their unemployment rate down slightly to 12.7%.

Since October 2008, core-age adults have experienced the largest decline in employment, down 146,000 (-1.2%). Over the same period, youth employment fell by 75,000 (-2.9%). In contrast, older workers have seen modest employment gains of 8,000 (+0.3%).

Available on CANSIM: tables 282-0001 to 282-0042, 282-0047 to 282-0064 and 282-0069 to 282-0099.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3701.

A more detailed summary, Labour Force Information (71-001-XWE, free), for the week ending January 17 is now available online. 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, 2007 (71F0004XCB, $209), is also 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 March 13.

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, Danielle Zietsma (613-951-4243; danielle.zietsma@statcan.gc.ca), or Jason Gilmore (613-951-7118; jason.gilmore@statcan.gc.ca), Labour Statistics Division.

Table 1

Labour force characteristics by age and sex
  December 2008 January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Both sexes 15+            
Population 27,098.7 27,128.1 29.4 376.3 0.1 1.4
Labour force 18,321.2 18,292.1 -29.1 167.2 -0.2 0.9
Employment 17,111.0 16,982.0 -129.0 -88.6 -0.8 -0.5
Full-time 13,921.7 13,807.8 -113.9 -182.1 -0.8 -1.3
Part-time 3,189.3 3,174.2 -15.1 93.5 -0.5 3.0
Unemployment 1,210.1 1,310.1 100.0 255.8 8.3 24.3
Participation rate 67.6 67.4 -0.2 -0.4 ... ...
Unemployment rate 6.6 7.2 0.6 1.4 ... ...
Employment rate 63.1 62.6 -0.5 -1.2 ... ...
Part-time rate 18.6 18.7 0.1 0.7 ...  ...
Youths 15 to 24            
Population 4,384.4 4,385.8 1.4 18.0 0.0 0.4
Labour force 2,930.5 2,892.4 -38.1 -40.5 -1.3 -1.4
Employment 2,553.9 2,525.6 -28.3 -85.8 -1.1 -3.3
Full-time 1,390.9 1,373.7 -17.2 -86.8 -1.2 -5.9
Part-time 1,163.0 1,151.9 -11.1 1.0 -1.0 0.1
Unemployment 376.7 366.8 -9.9 45.3 -2.6 14.1
Participation rate 66.8 65.9 -0.9 -1.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 12.9 12.7 -0.2 1.7 ... ...
Employment rate 58.2 57.6 -0.6 -2.2 ... ...
Part-time rate 45.5 45.6 0.1 1.5 ...  ...
Men 25+            
Population 11,102.7 11,116.6 13.9 180.1 0.1 1.6
Labour force 8,172.7 8,188.9 16.2 83.0 0.2 1.0
Employment 7,699.3 7,638.5 -60.8 -56.6 -0.8 -0.7
Full-time 7,158.9 7,095.1 -63.8 -100.0 -0.9 -1.4
Part-time 540.4 543.3 2.9 43.3 0.5 8.7
Unemployment 473.4 550.5 77.1 139.7 16.3 34.0
Participation rate 73.6 73.7 0.1 -0.4 ... ...
Unemployment rate 5.8 6.7 0.9 1.6 ... ...
Employment rate 69.3 68.7 -0.6 -1.7 ... ...
Part-time rate 7.0 7.1 0.1 0.6 ...  ...
Women 25+            
Population 11,611.6 11,625.7 14.1 178.2 0.1 1.6
Labour force 7,217.9 7,210.8 -7.1 124.8 -0.1 1.8
Employment 6,857.8 6,817.9 -39.9 53.8 -0.6 0.8
Full-time 5,371.9 5,339.0 -32.9 4.7 -0.6 0.1
Part-time 1,485.9 1,478.9 -7.0 49.1 -0.5 3.4
Unemployment 360.0 392.9 32.9 70.9 9.1 22.0
Participation rate 62.2 62.0 -0.2 0.1 ... ...
Unemployment rate 5.0 5.4 0.4 0.9 ... ...
Employment rate 59.1 58.6 -0.5 -0.5 ... ...
Part-time rate 21.7 21.7 0.0 0.6 ...  ...
not applicable
Note(s):
Related CANSIM table 282-0087.

Table 2

Employment by class of worker and industry (based on NAICS)1
  December 2008 January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Class of worker            
Employees 14,452.6 14,309.4 -143.2 -148.6 -1.0 -1.0
Self-employed 2,658.4 2,672.6 14.2 60.1 0.5 2.3
Public/private sector employees            
Public 3,446.7 3,404.7 -42.0 2.2 -1.2 0.1
Private 11,005.9 10,904.7 -101.2 -150.8 -0.9 -1.4
All industries 17,111.0 16,982.0 -129.0 -88.6 -0.8 -0.5
Goods-producing sector 3,977.1 3,856.6 -120.5 -160.2 -3.0 -4.0
Agriculture 316.2 307.8 -8.4 -32.6 -2.7 -9.6
Natural resources 343.9 341.7 -2.2 1.3 -0.6 0.4
Utilities 149.0 144.4 -4.6 -2.1 -3.1 -1.4
Construction 1,217.5 1,213.1 -4.4 20.7 -0.4 1.7
Manufacturing 1,950.5 1,849.6 -100.9 -147.4 -5.2 -7.4
Service-producing sector 13,133.9 13,125.3 -8.6 71.5 -0.1 0.5
Trade 2,661.7 2,653.6 -8.1 -25.6 -0.3 -1.0
Transportation and warehousing 869.7 839.8 -29.9 -14.3 -3.4 -1.7
Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing 1,083.7 1,097.2 13.5 17.8 1.2 1.6
Professional, scientific and technical services 1,207.1 1,210.6 3.5 26.2 0.3 2.2
Business, building and other support services 670.1 648.5 -21.6 -58.3 -3.2 -8.2
Educational services 1,184.5 1,178.5 -6.0 -18.1 -0.5 -1.5
Health care and social assistance 1,939.5 1,970.3 30.8 95.2 1.6 5.1
Information, culture and recreation 762.6 760.2 -2.4 -9.4 -0.3 -1.2
Accommodation and food services 1,063.4 1,075.2 11.8 30.3 1.1 2.9
Other services 756.9 768.6 11.7 15.5 1.5 2.1
Public administration 934.7 922.8 -11.9 12.0 -1.3 1.3
North American Industrial Classification System.
Note(s):
Related to CANSIM tables 282-0088 and 282-0089.

Table 3

Labour force characteristics by province
  December 2008 January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Newfoundland and Labrador            
Population 427.6 427.8 0.2 2.9 0.0 0.7
Labour force 252.0 252.2 0.2 -3.4 0.1 -1.3
Employment 217.5 216.2 -1.3 -7.7 -0.6 -3.4
Full-time 185.6 186.6 1.0 -4.4 0.5 -2.3
Part-time 31.8 29.6 -2.2 -3.3 -6.9 -10.0
Unemployment 34.5 36.0 1.5 4.3 4.3 13.6
Participation rate 58.9 59.0 0.1 -1.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 13.7 14.3 0.6 1.9 ... ...
Employment rate 50.9 50.5 -0.4 -2.2 ... ...
Prince Edward Island            
Population 115.3 115.3 0.0 1.5 0.0 1.3
Labour force 78.5 77.5 -1.0 -1.1 -1.3 -1.4
Employment 69.2 68.3 -0.9 -2.0 -1.3 -2.8
Full-time 57.8 57.4 -0.4 -1.2 -0.7 -2.0
Part-time 11.4 10.9 -0.5 -0.8 -4.4 -6.8
Unemployment 9.2 9.2 0.0 0.9 0.0 10.8
Participation rate 68.1 67.2 -0.9 -1.9 ... ...
Unemployment rate 11.7 11.9 0.2 1.3 ... ...
Employment rate 60.0 59.2 -0.8 -2.6 ... ...
Nova Scotia            
Population 770.6 770.9 0.3 4.8 0.0 0.6
Labour force 494.0 497.8 3.8 9.1 0.8 1.9
Employment 453.5 454.1 0.6 1.8 0.1 0.4
Full-time 371.6 370.7 -0.9 5.0 -0.2 1.4
Part-time 82.0 83.4 1.4 -3.2 1.7 -3.7
Unemployment 40.5 43.7 3.2 7.4 7.9 20.4
Participation rate 64.1 64.6 0.5 0.8 ... ...
Unemployment rate 8.2 8.8 0.6 1.4 ... ...
Employment rate 58.9 58.9 0.0 -0.1 ... ...
New Brunswick            
Population 619.7 620.0 0.3 4.3 0.0 0.7
Labour force 401.0 403.4 2.4 4.7 0.6 1.2
Employment 366.6 368.2 1.6 3.0 0.4 0.8
Full-time 310.8 309.2 -1.6 -4.3 -0.5 -1.4
Part-time 55.8 58.9 3.1 7.2 5.6 13.9
Unemployment 34.4 35.2 0.8 1.6 2.3 4.8
Participation rate 64.7 65.1 0.4 0.3 ... ...
Unemployment rate 8.6 8.7 0.1 0.3 ... ...
Employment rate 59.2 59.4 0.2 0.1 ... ...
Quebec            
Population 6,400.1 6,405.0 4.9 59.6 0.1 0.9
Labour force 4,191.6 4,181.9 -9.7 6.7 -0.2 0.2
Employment 3,884.3 3,858.5 -25.8 -30.8 -0.7 -0.8
Full-time 3,134.8 3,142.7 7.9 -32.5 0.3 -1.0
Part-time 749.5 715.8 -33.7 1.7 -4.5 0.2
Unemployment 307.2 323.4 16.2 37.5 5.3 13.1
Participation rate 65.5 65.3 -0.2 -0.5 ... ...
Unemployment rate 7.3 7.7 0.4 0.9 ... ...
Employment rate 60.7 60.2 -0.5 -1.1 ... ...
not applicable
Note(s):
Related CANSIM table 282-0087.

Table 4

Labour force characteristics by province
  December 2008 January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Ontario            
Population 10,580.8 10,591.9 11.1 152.5 0.1 1.5
Labour force 7,182.0 7,164.3 -17.7 63.4 -0.2 0.9
Employment 6,665.2 6,594.2 -71.0 -59.3 -1.1 -0.9
Full-time 5,421.1 5,372.6 -48.5 -87.7 -0.9 -1.6
Part-time 1,244.1 1,221.6 -22.5 28.4 -1.8 2.4
Unemployment 516.8 570.1 53.3 122.7 10.3 27.4
Participation rate 67.9 67.6 -0.3 -0.4 ... ...
Unemployment rate 7.2 8.0 0.8 1.7 ... ...
Employment rate 63.0 62.3 -0.7 -1.4 ... ...
Manitoba            
Population 914.8 915.6 0.8 11.4 0.1 1.3
Labour force 636.5 636.5 0.0 10.0 0.0 1.6
Employment 609.1 607.2 -1.9 4.6 -0.3 0.8
Full-time 493.1 492.5 -0.6 1.8 -0.1 0.4
Part-time 116.0 114.7 -1.3 2.8 -1.1 2.5
Unemployment 27.4 29.3 1.9 5.4 6.9 22.6
Participation rate 69.6 69.5 -0.1 0.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 4.3 4.6 0.3 0.8 ... ...
Employment rate 66.6 66.3 -0.3 -0.3 ... ...
Saskatchewan            
Population 774.0 774.7 0.7 14.9 0.1 2.0
Labour force 543.0 544.1 1.1 17.1 0.2 3.2
Employment 520.3 521.9 1.6 15.6 0.3 3.1
Full-time 426.4 423.7 -2.7 9.2 -0.6 2.2
Part-time 93.9 98.2 4.3 6.4 4.6 7.0
Unemployment 22.7 22.1 -0.6 1.3 -2.6 6.3
Participation rate 70.2 70.2 0.0 0.8 ... ...
Unemployment rate 4.2 4.1 -0.1 0.2 ... ...
Employment rate 67.2 67.4 0.2 0.8 ... ...
Alberta            
Population 2,823.7 2,830.1 6.4 57.1 0.2 2.1
Labour force 2,110.2 2,119.3 9.1 51.8 0.4 2.5
Employment 2,022.5 2,025.8 3.3 26.5 0.2 1.3
Full-time 1,680.8 1,680.6 -0.2 -3.7 0.0 -0.2
Part-time 341.7 345.3 3.6 30.3 1.1 9.6
Unemployment 87.8 93.5 5.7 25.3 6.5 37.1
Participation rate 74.7 74.9 0.2 0.3 ... ...
Unemployment rate 4.2 4.4 0.2 1.1 ... ...
Employment rate 71.6 71.6 0.0 -0.5 ... ...
British Columbia            
Population 3,672.2 3,676.8 4.6 67.3 0.1 1.9
Labour force 2,432.5 2,415.1 -17.4 8.9 -0.7 0.4
Employment 2,302.7 2,267.6 -35.1 -40.3 -1.5 -1.7
Full-time 1,839.6 1,771.5 -68.1 -64.1 -3.7 -3.5
Part-time 463.2 496.1 32.9 23.9 7.1 5.1
Unemployment 129.7 147.5 17.8 49.2 13.7 50.1
Participation rate 66.2 65.7 -0.5 -1.0 ... ...
Unemployment rate 5.3 6.1 0.8 2.0 ... ...
Employment rate 62.7 61.7 -1.0 -2.2 ... ...
not applicable
Note(s):
Related CANSIM table 282-0087.
_satellite.pageBottom(); > The Daily, Friday, February 6, 2009. Labour Force Survey TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> The Daily, Friday, February 6, 2009. Labour Force Survey
Statistics Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

Labour Force Survey

January 2009 (Previous release)

Employment fell by 129,000 in January (-0.8%), almost all in full time, pushing the unemployment rate up 0.6 percentage points to 7.2%. This drop in employment exceeds any monthly decline during the previous economic downturns of the 1980s and 1990s.

Chart 1

Chart 1

right click the chart to save it.

The loss in January follows other declines in recent months. Since October, employment has fallen by 213,000 (-1.2%), the result of full-time losses.

In January, the drop in employment was most pronounced in manufacturing, where the net loss totalled 101,000. There were declines in a number of other industries as well. The only industry with notable gains was health care and social assistance, where employment increased by 31,000.

Canada's three largest provinces accounted for the entire employment decrease in January. While just over half of employment losses were in Ontario (-71,000), there were also large declines in both British Columbia (-35,000) and Quebec (-26,000). Employment was little changed in all other provinces.

Employment fell mostly among core-age adults, 25 to 54 years, as well as among youths aged 15 to 24.

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-XWE, free).

Revision schedule

Seasonally adjusted estimates from the LFS have been revised using the latest seasonal factors, going back three years (January 2006 onwards). They are available on CANSIM (tables 282-0087 to 282-0094).

Both the public and private sectors experienced employment losses in January. While employment fell by 1.2% in the public sector, the private sector declined by 0.9%.

Compared with a year earlier, average hourly wages of employees was up 4.8% in January. The most recent increase in the Consumer Price Index was 1.2%.

Chart 2

right click the chart to save it.

Manufacturing employment falls sharply in January

Employment fell by 101,000 in the manufacturing sector in January. This was the largest monthly decline in the industry on record. The bulk of January's losses were in Ontario (-36,000), Quebec (-30,000) and British Columbia (-18,000). Factory employment was also down in Alberta and Manitoba.

Manufacturing losses in January were most pronounced in motor vehicle manufacturing. Employment also fell elsewhere in manufacturing in January, including: furniture; computer and electronic; non-metallic mineral product; electrical equipment, appliance and components; and clothing manufacturing.

In January, employment also fell in transportation and warehousing (-30,000), largely in truck transportation in Ontario. Employment in business, building and other support services declined as well in January, with losses totalling 22,000 (-3.2%). Over the last 12 months, employment in business, building and other support services has fallen by 8.2%.

Employment in health care and social assistance bucked the trend in January, up 31,000, with the largest gains in Ontario and Quebec. Since January 2008, health care and social assistance has experienced the fastest employment growth of all industries, up 5.1% (+95,000), with gains in social assistance, nursing and residential care facilities as well as hospitals.

Continued losses in Ontario

Ontario's employment drop of 71,000 in January was its largest in over three decades. This decrease pushed the unemployment rate up 0.8 percentage points to 8.0%, the highest since November 1997. Since October 2008, employment in the province has fallen by 1.9% (-125,000) and the unemployment rate has risen by 1.3 percentage points.

Employment in British Columbia fell in January by 35,000, with gains in part time more than offset by losses in full time. The province's unemployment rate jumped to 6.1%, an increase of 0.8 percentage points. Following a five-year period of sustained growth, construction employment fell for the fourth consecutive month in January, bringing total losses in that industry to 32,000 since its peak in September 2008.

In Quebec, employment fell by 26,000, all in part time, pushing the unemployment rate in January up to 7.7%. January saw large declines in public administration, following gains in December associated with hiring for the provincial election.

Bulk of employment losses among 25 to 54 year olds

Employment fell by 111,000 among the core age group (adults aged 25 to 54), with men accounting for nearly two-thirds of the decline. The unemployment rate for core-age adults jumped 0.8 percentage points to 6.2%, their highest rate since November 2004.

Youths aged 15 to 24 also experienced employment losses in January with a drop of 28,000. At the same time, a large number of youths left the labour force, nudging their unemployment rate down slightly to 12.7%.

Since October 2008, core-age adults have experienced the largest decline in employment, down 146,000 (-1.2%). Over the same period, youth employment fell by 75,000 (-2.9%). In contrast, older workers have seen modest employment gains of 8,000 (+0.3%).

Available on CANSIM: tables 282-0001 to 282-0042, 282-0047 to 282-0064 and 282-0069 to 282-0099.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3701.

A more detailed summary, Labour Force Information (71-001-XWE, free), for the week ending January 17 is now available online. 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, 2007 (71F0004XCB, $209), is also 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 March 13.

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, Danielle Zietsma (613-951-4243; danielle.zietsma@statcan.gc.ca), or Jason Gilmore (613-951-7118; jason.gilmore@statcan.gc.ca), Labour Statistics Division.

Table 1

Labour force characteristics by age and sex
  December 2008 January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Both sexes 15+            
Population 27,098.7 27,128.1 29.4 376.3 0.1 1.4
Labour force 18,321.2 18,292.1 -29.1 167.2 -0.2 0.9
Employment 17,111.0 16,982.0 -129.0 -88.6 -0.8 -0.5
Full-time 13,921.7 13,807.8 -113.9 -182.1 -0.8 -1.3
Part-time 3,189.3 3,174.2 -15.1 93.5 -0.5 3.0
Unemployment 1,210.1 1,310.1 100.0 255.8 8.3 24.3
Participation rate 67.6 67.4 -0.2 -0.4 ... ...
Unemployment rate 6.6 7.2 0.6 1.4 ... ...
Employment rate 63.1 62.6 -0.5 -1.2 ... ...
Part-time rate 18.6 18.7 0.1 0.7 ...  ...
Youths 15 to 24            
Population 4,384.4 4,385.8 1.4 18.0 0.0 0.4
Labour force 2,930.5 2,892.4 -38.1 -40.5 -1.3 -1.4
Employment 2,553.9 2,525.6 -28.3 -85.8 -1.1 -3.3
Full-time 1,390.9 1,373.7 -17.2 -86.8 -1.2 -5.9
Part-time 1,163.0 1,151.9 -11.1 1.0 -1.0 0.1
Unemployment 376.7 366.8 -9.9 45.3 -2.6 14.1
Participation rate 66.8 65.9 -0.9 -1.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 12.9 12.7 -0.2 1.7 ... ...
Employment rate 58.2 57.6 -0.6 -2.2 ... ...
Part-time rate 45.5 45.6 0.1 1.5 ...  ...
Men 25+            
Population 11,102.7 11,116.6 13.9 180.1 0.1 1.6
Labour force 8,172.7 8,188.9 16.2 83.0 0.2 1.0
Employment 7,699.3 7,638.5 -60.8 -56.6 -0.8 -0.7
Full-time 7,158.9 7,095.1 -63.8 -100.0 -0.9 -1.4
Part-time 540.4 543.3 2.9 43.3 0.5 8.7
Unemployment 473.4 550.5 77.1 139.7 16.3 34.0
Participation rate 73.6 73.7 0.1 -0.4 ... ...
Unemployment rate 5.8 6.7 0.9 1.6 ... ...
Employment rate 69.3 68.7 -0.6 -1.7 ... ...
Part-time rate 7.0 7.1 0.1 0.6 ...  ...
Women 25+            
Population 11,611.6 11,625.7 14.1 178.2 0.1 1.6
Labour force 7,217.9 7,210.8 -7.1 124.8 -0.1 1.8
Employment 6,857.8 6,817.9 -39.9 53.8 -0.6 0.8
Full-time 5,371.9 5,339.0 -32.9 4.7 -0.6 0.1
Part-time 1,485.9 1,478.9 -7.0 49.1 -0.5 3.4
Unemployment 360.0 392.9 32.9 70.9 9.1 22.0
Participation rate 62.2 62.0 -0.2 0.1 ... ...
Unemployment rate 5.0 5.4 0.4 0.9 ... ...
Employment rate 59.1 58.6 -0.5 -0.5 ... ...
Part-time rate 21.7 21.7 0.0 0.6 ...  ...
not applicable
Note(s):
Related CANSIM table 282-0087.

Table 2

Employment by class of worker and industry (based on NAICS)1
  December 2008 January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Class of worker            
Employees 14,452.6 14,309.4 -143.2 -148.6 -1.0 -1.0
Self-employed 2,658.4 2,672.6 14.2 60.1 0.5 2.3
Public/private sector employees            
Public 3,446.7 3,404.7 -42.0 2.2 -1.2 0.1
Private 11,005.9 10,904.7 -101.2 -150.8 -0.9 -1.4
All industries 17,111.0 16,982.0 -129.0 -88.6 -0.8 -0.5
Goods-producing sector 3,977.1 3,856.6 -120.5 -160.2 -3.0 -4.0
Agriculture 316.2 307.8 -8.4 -32.6 -2.7 -9.6
Natural resources 343.9 341.7 -2.2 1.3 -0.6 0.4
Utilities 149.0 144.4 -4.6 -2.1 -3.1 -1.4
Construction 1,217.5 1,213.1 -4.4 20.7 -0.4 1.7
Manufacturing 1,950.5 1,849.6 -100.9 -147.4 -5.2 -7.4
Service-producing sector 13,133.9 13,125.3 -8.6 71.5 -0.1 0.5
Trade 2,661.7 2,653.6 -8.1 -25.6 -0.3 -1.0
Transportation and warehousing 869.7 839.8 -29.9 -14.3 -3.4 -1.7
Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing 1,083.7 1,097.2 13.5 17.8 1.2 1.6
Professional, scientific and technical services 1,207.1 1,210.6 3.5 26.2 0.3 2.2
Business, building and other support services 670.1 648.5 -21.6 -58.3 -3.2 -8.2
Educational services 1,184.5 1,178.5 -6.0 -18.1 -0.5 -1.5
Health care and social assistance 1,939.5 1,970.3 30.8 95.2 1.6 5.1
Information, culture and recreation 762.6 760.2 -2.4 -9.4 -0.3 -1.2
Accommodation and food services 1,063.4 1,075.2 11.8 30.3 1.1 2.9
Other services 756.9 768.6 11.7 15.5 1.5 2.1
Public administration 934.7 922.8 -11.9 12.0 -1.3 1.3
North American Industrial Classification System.
Note(s):
Related to CANSIM tables 282-0088 and 282-0089.

Table 3

Labour force characteristics by province
  December 2008 January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Newfoundland and Labrador            
Population 427.6 427.8 0.2 2.9 0.0 0.7
Labour force 252.0 252.2 0.2 -3.4 0.1 -1.3
Employment 217.5 216.2 -1.3 -7.7 -0.6 -3.4
Full-time 185.6 186.6 1.0 -4.4 0.5 -2.3
Part-time 31.8 29.6 -2.2 -3.3 -6.9 -10.0
Unemployment 34.5 36.0 1.5 4.3 4.3 13.6
Participation rate 58.9 59.0 0.1 -1.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 13.7 14.3 0.6 1.9 ... ...
Employment rate 50.9 50.5 -0.4 -2.2 ... ...
Prince Edward Island            
Population 115.3 115.3 0.0 1.5 0.0 1.3
Labour force 78.5 77.5 -1.0 -1.1 -1.3 -1.4
Employment 69.2 68.3 -0.9 -2.0 -1.3 -2.8
Full-time 57.8 57.4 -0.4 -1.2 -0.7 -2.0
Part-time 11.4 10.9 -0.5 -0.8 -4.4 -6.8
Unemployment 9.2 9.2 0.0 0.9 0.0 10.8
Participation rate 68.1 67.2 -0.9 -1.9 ... ...
Unemployment rate 11.7 11.9 0.2 1.3 ... ...
Employment rate 60.0 59.2 -0.8 -2.6 ... ...
Nova Scotia            
Population 770.6 770.9 0.3 4.8 0.0 0.6
Labour force 494.0 497.8 3.8 9.1 0.8 1.9
Employment 453.5 454.1 0.6 1.8 0.1 0.4
Full-time 371.6 370.7 -0.9 5.0 -0.2 1.4
Part-time 82.0 83.4 1.4 -3.2 1.7 -3.7
Unemployment 40.5 43.7 3.2 7.4 7.9 20.4
Participation rate 64.1 64.6 0.5 0.8 ... ...
Unemployment rate 8.2 8.8 0.6 1.4 ... ...
Employment rate 58.9 58.9 0.0 -0.1 ... ...
New Brunswick            
Population 619.7 620.0 0.3 4.3 0.0 0.7
Labour force 401.0 403.4 2.4 4.7 0.6 1.2
Employment 366.6 368.2 1.6 3.0 0.4 0.8
Full-time 310.8 309.2 -1.6 -4.3 -0.5 -1.4
Part-time 55.8 58.9 3.1 7.2 5.6 13.9
Unemployment 34.4 35.2 0.8 1.6 2.3 4.8
Participation rate 64.7 65.1 0.4 0.3 ... ...
Unemployment rate 8.6 8.7 0.1 0.3 ... ...
Employment rate 59.2 59.4 0.2 0.1 ... ...
Quebec            
Population 6,400.1 6,405.0 4.9 59.6 0.1 0.9
Labour force 4,191.6 4,181.9 -9.7 6.7 -0.2 0.2
Employment 3,884.3 3,858.5 -25.8 -30.8 -0.7 -0.8
Full-time 3,134.8 3,142.7 7.9 -32.5 0.3 -1.0
Part-time 749.5 715.8 -33.7 1.7 -4.5 0.2
Unemployment 307.2 323.4 16.2 37.5 5.3 13.1
Participation rate 65.5 65.3 -0.2 -0.5 ... ...
Unemployment rate 7.3 7.7 0.4 0.9 ... ...
Employment rate 60.7 60.2 -0.5 -1.1 ... ...
not applicable
Note(s):
Related CANSIM table 282-0087.

Table 4

Labour force characteristics by province
  December 2008 January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009 December 2008 to January 2009 January 2008 to January 2009
  Seasonally adjusted
  thousands change in thousands % change
Ontario            
Population 10,580.8 10,591.9 11.1 152.5 0.1 1.5
Labour force 7,182.0 7,164.3 -17.7 63.4 -0.2 0.9
Employment 6,665.2 6,594.2 -71.0 -59.3 -1.1 -0.9
Full-time 5,421.1 5,372.6 -48.5 -87.7 -0.9 -1.6
Part-time 1,244.1 1,221.6 -22.5 28.4 -1.8 2.4
Unemployment 516.8 570.1 53.3 122.7 10.3 27.4
Participation rate 67.9 67.6 -0.3 -0.4 ... ...
Unemployment rate 7.2 8.0 0.8 1.7 ... ...
Employment rate 63.0 62.3 -0.7 -1.4 ... ...
Manitoba            
Population 914.8 915.6 0.8 11.4 0.1 1.3
Labour force 636.5 636.5 0.0 10.0 0.0 1.6
Employment 609.1 607.2 -1.9 4.6 -0.3 0.8
Full-time 493.1 492.5 -0.6 1.8 -0.1 0.4
Part-time 116.0 114.7 -1.3 2.8 -1.1 2.5
Unemployment 27.4 29.3 1.9 5.4 6.9 22.6
Participation rate 69.6 69.5 -0.1 0.2 ... ...
Unemployment rate 4.3 4.6 0.3 0.8 ... ...
Employment rate 66.6 66.3 -0.3 -0.3 ... ...
Saskatchewan            
Population 774.0 774.7 0.7 14.9 0.1 2.0
Labour force 543.0 544.1 1.1 17.1 0.2 3.2
Employment 520.3 521.9 1.6 15.6 0.3 3.1
Full-time 426.4 423.7 -2.7 9.2 -0.6 2.2
Part-time 93.9 98.2 4.3 6.4 4.6 7.0
Unemployment 22.7 22.1 -0.6 1.3 -2.6 6.3
Participation rate 70.2 70.2 0.0 0.8 ... ...
Unemployment rate 4.2 4.1 -0.1 0.2 ... ...
Employment rate 67.2 67.4 0.2 0.8 ... ...
Alberta            
Population 2,823.7 2,830.1 6.4 57.1 0.2 2.1
Labour force 2,110.2 2,119.3 9.1 51.8 0.4 2.5
Employment 2,022.5 2,025.8 3.3 26.5 0.2 1.3
Full-time 1,680.8 1,680.6 -0.2 -3.7 0.0 -0.2
Part-time 341.7 345.3 3.6 30.3 1.1 9.6
Unemployment 87.8 93.5 5.7 25.3 6.5 37.1
Participation rate 74.7 74.9 0.2 0.3 ... ...
Unemployment rate 4.2 4.4 0.2 1.1 ... ...
Employment rate 71.6 71.6 0.0 -0.5 ... ...
British Columbia            
Population 3,672.2 3,676.8 4.6 67.3 0.1 1.9
Labour force 2,432.5 2,415.1 -17.4 8.9 -0.7 0.4
Employment 2,302.7 2,267.6 -35.1 -40.3 -1.5 -1.7
Full-time 1,839.6 1,771.5 -68.1 -64.1 -3.7 -3.5
Part-time 463.2 496.1 32.9 23.9 7.1 5.1
Unemployment 129.7 147.5 17.8 49.2 13.7 50.1
Participation rate 66.2 65.7 -0.5 -1.0 ... ...
Unemployment rate 5.3 6.1 0.8 2.0 ... ...
Employment rate 62.7 61.7 -1.0 -2.2 ... ...
not applicable
Note(s):
Related CANSIM table 282-0087.