Canada is a job juggernaut — except in manufacturing
By Erica Alini - Friday, March 8, 2013 - 0 Comments
To recap:
- The Canadian economy added a whopping 51,000 jobs in February, Statistics Canada said today. That was over six times the meagre consensus expectation of 8,000 new jobs.
- The unemployment rate remained steady at seven per cent as more Canadians joined the labour force last month after many abandoned the job search in January.
- The pick-up in jobs growth comes after employment declined by 22,000 positions in January.
- Compared to February 2012, employment last month was up by 336,000 jobs, mostly full-time positions. Employment in the private and public sector grew at the same pace, expanding by roughly two per cent on year-ago levels.
- Job gains were widespread across provinces. Manitoba was the lone jurisdiction that registered losses (-3,200), which, however, coincided with a decline in labour force participation and left the unemployment rate unaffected.
- Across industries, the lion’s share of new jobs came from the service sector. Manufacturing, by contrast, shed 26,000 positions compared to the previous month, leaving employment levels roughly unchanged since February 2012.
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Good news on employment, bad news on Canadian productivity
By Erica Alini - Friday, December 7, 2012 at 10:48 AM - 0 Comments
There are three very important labour market releases out this morning: both Canada and the U.S. published their November employment numbers, and Statistics Canada also released the labour productivity growth figures for the July-September period.
Here’s a quick look at the numbers, plus a list of recommended readings if you want to know more about the context and significance of these economic indicators.
Employment and Unemployment in Canada
All is well in the Canadian labour market—much better than expected, in fact. The economy churned out an impressive 59,000 more jobs in November, well above the consensus expectation of a 7,500 gain. The hiring came mostly from the private sector and in terms of full-time jobs, and employment levels increased or were unchanged across all provinces. The unemployment rate dipped 0.2 percentage points to 7.2 per cent, the lowest level since March and below the consensus forecast of 7.4 per cent unemployment.
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Libertarian if necessary, but not necessarily libertarian
By Aaron Wherry - Friday, July 9, 2010 at 12:42 PM - 0 Comments
The research and social planner for Calgary—that bastion of nanny statists—voices his objection to the census changes. Stephen Gordon wonders if the government will do away with the coercive and intrusive Labour Force Survey (source of those job growth numbers that Conservatives are only too happy to celebrate). And now Dan Gardner gets his kicks in.
Yes, the staunch libertarian principles of the government. The Harper government. The government that thinks marijuana decriminalization is a Marxist plot, an adult who agrees to consensual sex in exchange for money should be imprisoned, the police did a fine job at the G20, and Omar Khadr can rot in a tropical gulag.
But requiring citizens to fill out a form which is absolutely essential to sound public policy and social science? An outrageous violation of individual liberty.
