The latest release of the Labour Force Survey in Canada was published March 11. Employment edged up slightly in February, while unemployment stabilized at 7.8%.
Over the past 12 months, full-time employment grew by 1.1% while part time increased by 5.1%.
The main increases in February were in health care and social assistance (+ 18,000), and accommodation and food services (+ 15,000). At the same time, there were declines in business, building and other support services and in public administration 35,000 and 14,000 respectively). Despite this decline, the number of workers in public administration has grown by 38,000 since February 2010.
Alberta showed a notable employment gain (+ 14,000), reducing unemployment to 5.7%. There was little change in the other provinces, except for Saskatchewan ( 3,300).
The differences are also notable based on age: youth employment edged down slightly to 14.3%, and in February, the number of employed 15- to 24-year-olds increased by 16,000. There was little employment change among workers aged 25 to 54.
The survey also notes that over the past 12 months, employment in Canada has risen by 1.9% (+ 322,000, or an increase of almost 2%).