Statistics Canada recently released the Labour Force Survey data for October 2022. Unemployment has recovered from increases between May and September but remains at 5.2% in September.

Manufacturing, construction, accommodation, and food services gained the most jobs, while wholesale and retail trade, as well as natural resources, decreased. Most of the new jobs were in the private sector and it’s the first time since March 2022 the private sector has witnessed an increase in employment.

Finding a Job is Not a Problem for Immigrants

The released 2021 Census data on immigration showed that 23% of Canada’s population is an immigrant. The census clearly describes immigrants as people who are or have landed as an immigrant or permanent residents.

The finding clearly stated that immigrants have been successful in getting employment and fulfilling the gaps in Canada’s labour force. Just over 62% of immigrants aged 15 and above are employed. The employment rate for immigrants who arrived in Canada over the past five years was 70.7%, higher than in October 2019, pre-pandemic.

Most New Jobs are Usually Full-Time

Employment gains in October were primarily seen in full-time employment (part-time employment decreased, but gains in full-time employment offset the decreases). In October 2021, 119,000 full-time positions were filled, increasing the rate of full-time employment by 3%.

Over the past 12 months, men have experienced a growth rate of 3.9% while women have experienced a growth rate of 1.9% in full-time employment. The part-time employment rate has remained consistent, but there has been a shift toward men seeking full-time employment.

The number of women with part-time employment has increased since last October by 5.7%.

Employment has increased for both genders occurred mainly in the core working age group of 25-54 years old. However, the number of full-time jobs gained by men of core working age between September and October this year was 0.7%, while the number of full-time jobs gained by women was 0.4%.

The unemployment rate among young women aged 15-24 decreased by 1.7% from September, resulting in a 10.5% total unemployment rate.

Pay Raises for the Top 25% of Wage Earners

The salaries over all sectors increased an average of 5.6% since October 2021. The survey suggests that 6 in 10 employees who have been working for over a year had received a raise over the previous year.

According to the survey, 64.3% of employees making more than $40 an hour had received a raise, whereas only 50% of those making less than $20 received a raise. The lowest proportion of employees who had received a salary hike worked in agriculture, at 47.2%, and accommodation and food services at 49.7%. These are two industries that usually have hourly wages below the national average.

Six Provinces have seen an Increase in Employment

A maximum number of new employment occurred in Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

Canadian province Ontario had the maximum number of employment with 43000 positions filled, mainly part-time. The largest gains were within the accommodation and food sectors as well as the professional, scientific, and technical services sectors. The complete rate of unemployment is steady with September at 5.9%.

Quebec also witnessed significant growth with 28000 positions filled. The overall gains were mainly full-time and within construction, finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing.

Positions in Hybrids Continue to be Popular

It was found that 1.7 million Canadians work a hybrid job, meaning that they work part-time in the office and part-time remotely. Between January and October, hybrid arrangements increased. Finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing account for the largest number of hybrid jobs. Further, nearly 16% of public administration jobs and 17.9% of professional, scientific, and technical jobs are hybrid jobs.

 

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