National unemployment rate falls to 7.7 per cent: Statistics Canada
The national unemployment rate edged down 0.1 percentage points in June to 7.7 per cent, spurred by a large gain in part-time jobs, according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada.
Since the start of 2003, employment has grown by only 0.5 per cent, or 84,000 jobs, but Statistics Canada said the weak job numbers are still better than what is happening in the United States, where employment declined 0.2 per cent over the same period.
The strong growth in employment in June was almost all in part-time work. After four months of strong growth, full-time employment growth has stalled in May and June.
Manufacturing continues decline
Employment rose in a number of service-producing industries, especially transportation and public administration. But employment in manufacturing continued its downward trend that began at the end of 2003, falling by 23,000 in June. This leaves 89,000 fewer factory workers (down 3.7 per cent) than in November 2002.
Statistics Canada said the manufacturing decline in June was concentrated in food processing in Ontario and clothing production in Quebec.
Women posting gains
Following five months of virtually no job growth, employment among adult women jumped by 29,000 in June, mostly in full-time work. The growth pushed the unemployment rate for adult women down 0.3 percentage points to 6.3 per cent.
On the flip side, employment among adult men edged up 16,000, all in part-time work according to Statistics Canada. This partly offset the sharp decline in May and left employment among adult men up just 46,000 (or 0.6 per cent) since the start of 2003. The unemployment rate for adult men edged down 0.1 percentage points to 6.6 per cent in June.
Summer job market improving
The employment rate for students aged 20 to 24 (those who had been attending school full-time and who planned on returning in the fall) stood at 68.8 per cent in June, up 1.2 percentage points from June 2002. Over the same period, the unemployment rate for this group fell 1.9 percentage points to nine per cent.
Here are the June unemployment figures, by jurisdiction, across Canada compared with May:
Source: Statistics Canada
Since the start of 2003, employment has grown by only 0.5 per cent, or 84,000 jobs, but Statistics Canada said the weak job numbers are still better than what is happening in the United States, where employment declined 0.2 per cent over the same period.
The strong growth in employment in June was almost all in part-time work. After four months of strong growth, full-time employment growth has stalled in May and June.
Manufacturing continues decline
Employment rose in a number of service-producing industries, especially transportation and public administration. But employment in manufacturing continued its downward trend that began at the end of 2003, falling by 23,000 in June. This leaves 89,000 fewer factory workers (down 3.7 per cent) than in November 2002.
Statistics Canada said the manufacturing decline in June was concentrated in food processing in Ontario and clothing production in Quebec.
Women posting gains
Following five months of virtually no job growth, employment among adult women jumped by 29,000 in June, mostly in full-time work. The growth pushed the unemployment rate for adult women down 0.3 percentage points to 6.3 per cent.
On the flip side, employment among adult men edged up 16,000, all in part-time work according to Statistics Canada. This partly offset the sharp decline in May and left employment among adult men up just 46,000 (or 0.6 per cent) since the start of 2003. The unemployment rate for adult men edged down 0.1 percentage points to 6.6 per cent in June.
Summer job market improving
The employment rate for students aged 20 to 24 (those who had been attending school full-time and who planned on returning in the fall) stood at 68.8 per cent in June, up 1.2 percentage points from June 2002. Over the same period, the unemployment rate for this group fell 1.9 percentage points to nine per cent.
Here are the June unemployment figures, by jurisdiction, across Canada compared with May:
| Jurisdiction | May 2003 (%) | June 2003 (%) | Change |
| Canada | 7.8 | 7.7 | -0.1 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 16.4 | 15.4 | -1.0 |
| Prince Edward Island | 12.2 | 9.6 | -2.6 |
| Nova Scotia | 8.9 | 8.8 | -0.1 |
| New Brunswick | 12.0 | 10.6 | -1.4 |
| Quebec | 9.3 | 8.9 | -0.4 |
| Ontario | 7.1 | 7.3 | 0.2 |
| Manitoba | 4.5 | 4.6 | 0.1 |
| Saskatchewan | 5.5 | 5.3 | -0.2 |
| Alberta | 5.6 | 5.1 | -0.5 |
| British Columbia | 8.6 | 8.3 | -0.3 |
Source: Statistics Canada
