Employment in December was virtually unchanged (-4,300), as gains in full-time work were offset by losses in part time. The unemployment rate remained at 6.6%.
Employment gains in 2014 amounted to 186,000 (+1.0%), with increases in the second half of the year accounting for most of the growth. Compared with 12 months earlier, the total number of hours worked increased by 0.7%.
Chart 1 Employment
In December, employment declined among women aged 25 to 54 and increased among men in this age group.
Employment declined in Prince Edward Island and was little changed in the other provinces.
There were fewer people working in accommodation and food services as well as ‘other services’ in December. At the same time, employment increased in agriculture, public administration and natural resources.
Full-time employment rose by 54,000 in December, while there was a decline of 58,000 in part time.
Chart 2 Unemployment rate
Employment in most provinces holds steady
In December, employment in Prince Edward Island declined by 1,000. The unemployment rate for the province was little changed at 11.0%, as fewer people participated in the labour market.
In British Columbia, employment was virtually unchanged in December. However, as fewer people searched for work, the unemployment rate fell 0.4 percentage points to 5.4%—the lowest in the province since 2008.
Employment in New Brunswick was little changed in December. At the same time, the unemployment rate increased 0.6 percentage points to 10.2%, as more people looked for work.
Employment in the remaining provinces was little changed between November and December.
Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at The Daily — Labour Force Survey, December 2014.
Job Market Monitor 
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