Job Report in Canada, February 2016 – Employment was virtually unchanged and unemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage

Employment was virtually unchanged in February (-2,300 or 0.0%) as gains in part-time work were offset by losses in full time. The unemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage points for the third consecutive month, reaching 7.3% for the first time since March 2013.On a year-over-year basis, employment grew by 0.7% (+118,000), with the gains mostly coming from full-time work (+82,000 or +0.6%). At the same time, the number of hours worked increased by 1.0%.

Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island registered employment declines, whereas British Columbia recorded an increase. There was little change in the remaining provinces.

The number of public and private sector employees as well as the number of self-employed workers were little changed in February.

Chart 2  Unemployment rate

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story at  The Daily — Labour Force Survey, February 2016