Canada’s employment rate is higher than that of the United States and most European countries

According to the most recent international data available, Canada's employment rate was higher than that of the United States and most European countries (excluding Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden) in the second quarter of 2007.

Employment rose by an estimated 43,000 in November, moving forward the employment rate to another record high (63.8 per cent), according to the latest numbers from Statistics Canada released. As more people entered the labor force in November, the unemployment rate moved up 0.1 of a percentage point to 5.9 per cent.

Employment has increased 2.3 per cent (+388,000) over the course of the year in 2007 that is stronger than the 1.8 per cent increase seen over the same period in 2006.

Employment growth in November was a mix of full- and part-time work, with notable increases in British Columbia (+26,000 all in full-time), Quebec (+19,000 all in part-time), Saskatchewan (+5,000) and New Brunswick (+5,000).

Following three months of strong increases in the public sector, November's employment gains were mostly in the private sector (+49,000). There were continued public sector gains (+19,000) in November, and declines among the self-employed (-25,000). However, employment growth in the public sector (+6.3 per cent) has continued to outpace that of the private sector (+0.9 per cent) for the past 12 months.

Compared to November 2006, more public sector employees were working in public administration (municipal and federal); health care and social assistance (nursing care facilities and hospitals); education (primary and secondary schools); and in utilities (electric power generation, transmission and distribution). Most of these employment gains were in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta.

Four industries recorded employment increases in November: transportation and warehousing (+17,000); business, building and other support services (+15,000); educational services (+14,000); and natural resources (+6,000).

Manufacturing continued its slump in November with losses of 16,000. So far this year—that is, from December 2006 to November 2007—factory employment losses have totaled an estimated 98,000, with most of the declines in Quebec and Ontario. These employment losses have been recorded mostly in wood; fabricated metal; and furniture products, as well as in motor vehicle and parts manufacturing.

Gains were concentrated among men aged 25 to 54 years (+33,000). Despite this increase, so far in 2007 employment growth has been slightly better for women (+1.6 per cent) than for men (+1.2 per cent) in this age group. Strong employment gains in the last three months for both men and women helped bump up this age group's employment rate to a record high of 82.6 per cent in November.

Growth in average hourly wages remained strong in November, with a year-over-year increase estimated at 4.2 per cent, well above the most recent increase in the Consumer Price Index (+2.4 per cent).