Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 288,000, and the unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage point to 6.3 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment gains were widespread, led by job growth in professional and business services, retail trade, food services and drinking places, and construction. Household Survey Data In … Continue reading
Last month, for the first time, Canada’s Department of Finance released a separate Jobs Report along with the federal budget. Problem: Canada’s job creation record, as indicated in Statistics Canada’s Job Vacancy Statistics (JVS), has been dismal. Solution: Ignore the JVS, use something else and hope no one notices. Unfortunately, as The Globe and Mail … Continue reading
Employment rose by 29,000 in January, the result of an increase in full-time work. The unemployment rate declined 0.2 percentage points to 7.0%. Over the past 12 months, employment increased 0.8% or 146,000 and the number of hours worked rose 0.7%. During the same period, the employment rate fell 0.3 percentage points to 61.6% as employment grew at a slower pace than the population. Chart 1 Employment Employment increased in Prince … Continue reading
From the official press release Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 113,000 in January, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 6.6 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment grew in construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, and mining. Household Survey Data Both the number of unemployed persons, at 10.2 million, and the unemployment rate, … Continue reading
Put the Department of Finance on the growing list of observers who are questioning the accuracy of Canada’s unemployment numbers. According to documents obtained by the Globe and Mail, the department has concluded that volatility in Canada’s jobs data is “well above” normal. “The volatility of employment growth as measured by the [Labour Force Survey] … Continue reading
Here’s what top economists are saying about the numbers: Derek Holt and Don Zigler, Scotiabank (Report titled ‘CDN JOBS SHOCKER) What a way to end a year and it reinforces our argument since last Fall that there should be a higher probability of a rate cut from the BoC priced into the curve alongside sharply … Continue reading
Employment continued on a slight upward trend for the third consecutive month, edging up 22,000 in November. The unemployment rate held steady at 6.9% for the third month in a row. So far this year, employment growth has averaged 13,400 per month, compared with an average of 25,400 over the same period in 2012. Chart 1 Employment Provincially, employment rose in Alberta and declined in … Continue reading
Those are good news. But the employment-population ratio is lower than in was a year ago. This performance must be repeated for several months Continue reading
There is no sign U.S. jobs statistics have been compromised by broad-based employee fabrication of data, according to the Census Bureau. Continue reading
Job creation picks up despite government shutdown. Indeed, furloughed workers are counted on the payroll. But the household survey says something else: a drop of -735,000 in the number of people employed. Furloughed are counted as unemployed in the household survey. Continue reading
Editor’s Note: At 6,9%, the unemployment rate is down by -0.5 pp since last year. But this is due to the -0.4 pp drop in the participation rate as the employment-to-population ratio is down by -0.1. This is hardly the picture of a dynamic labour market. Continue reading
Here is an overview of the numerous comments on the latest job report even if the report concludes on the lowest the unemployment rate since November 2008. This drop was mainly due to a decrease to 63.2% of participation rate as the employment to population ratio declined to 58.6%. ‘The drop in the main unemployment rate was driven … Continue reading