Canada added 40,000 jobs in August — but it added 100,000 more people, too
CBC
Canada's economy added 40,000 jobs last month, about twice as many as expected, but also only about half as many as would be needed to keep up with population growth.
Statistics Canada reported Friday that while the economy added jobs, the country also added about 103,000 new people. So despite the mini-surge, the employment rate — the percentage of adults who are actively in the workforce — actually declined by 0.1 percentage points, to 61.9 per cent.
Economists had been expecting the economy to add only about 20,000 jobs, and a few were even calling for a decline, which would have been the second contraction in a row in the job market.
So far this year, Canada's job market has added about 174,000 new positions, or on average about 25,000 new jobs per month.
But the number of working-age adults has gone up by about three times that, with Canada's population gaining on average 83,000 people age 15 or older every month.
In August, professional, scientific and technical services added 52,000 jobs, and the construction sector added 34,000.
On the flip side, the education sector lost 44,000 jobs, while manufacturing lost 30,000.
This First Person column is the experience of Shannon Flaman, who lives in Red Deer, Alta. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
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