OTTAWA (XINHUA) – Canada’s employment increased by 150,000 in January and the unemployment rate held steady at five per cent, Statistics Canada said on Friday.
Employment gains were driven primarily by people aged 25 to 54, split evenly between women and men in this group, the national statistical agency said, adding that employment also increased among people aged 55 and older, while it was little changed among youth aged 15 to 24.
There were gains across several industries, led by wholesale and retail trade, healthcare and social assistance and educational services. At the same time, employment declined in transportation and warehousing, the agency said.
According to the agency, total hours worked rose 0.8 per cent in January and were up 5.6 per cent on a year-over-year (y-o-y) basis. The proportion of employees absent due to illness or disability was 7.1 per cent during the reference week.
This was below the record-high 10 per cent observed in January 2022 and on par with a typical January.
The unemployment rate in January was just shy of the record-low 4.9 per cent observed in June and July 2022. The total number of unemployed stood at one million, similar to the level observed since the summer of 2022, the agency said.
