Employment in Canada Rises to Record Rate
On December 7, 2018, the Statistics Canada (StatCan) governmental agency reported that employment in Canada soared to its highest level in more than 40 years. During November 2018, an overall increase of 94,100 new Canadian jobs were added to the country’s growing economy, causing the unemployment rate in Canada to drop to just 5.6 percent. The percentage of people working in Canada has not been this high since way back in 1976. Additionally, 89,900 of the 94,100 new jobs in Canada filled in November were full-time positions. The StatCan agency also reported that there were 218,800 more people working in Canada in November 2018 than there were in November 2017. Nonetheless, thousands of Canadian job openings remain vacant because there are not enough qualified employees available to work in Canada. This is a major reason why the Canadian government and businesses want thousands of foreign workers to move to Canada with their families so they can help keep the economy expanding at a healthy pace.
Statistics about Canada’s economy also revealed that 64,400 of the 89,900 Canadian jobs produced in November 2018 were created in only four of the country’s provinces: Quebec (26,000), Alberta (24,000), Ontario (20,000), and British Columbia (16,000). In terms of the percentage of people working in Canada’s provinces and territories, British Columbia had the lowest unemployment rate at just 4.4 percent. Other Canadian provinces with low employment included Quebec at 5.4 percent; Saskatchewan with 5.5 percent; Ontario at 5.6 percent; and Manitoba with only 5.7% unemployment. In many cities and towns across Canada, the unemployment rate was even lower. For example, the unemployment rate in Guelph (Ontario) was a very low 3.0% in November 2018, while the rate was only 3.8% in Victoria (British Columbia), 3.8% in Quebec City (Quebec), 4.1% in Vancouver (British Columbia), and 4.6% in Ottawa (Ontario). Several other Canadian communities had unemployment rates below the national average of 5.6 percent.
According to data released by Statistics Canada, the five-year trend for Canadian employment from 2013 through December 2018 has been going in only one direction – up! It is no coincidence that the trend for Canadian immigration has also been soaring on the same upward trajectory. Sustained economic growth is creating new jobs in Canada year after year, but as more Canadians retire, the demand for skilled foreign workers keeps rising. To learn about your best option to live and work in Canada, click here!
