According to the most recent data compiled by Statistics Canada’s Labor Force Survey, employment did not change significantly during the month of July. The unemployment rate stabilized at 4.9%, a record low recorded last June. The number of unemployed people was also little changed, standing at 1 million in July.
Over the past month, the public sector experienced a slight decline in its number of employees (-1.2%), while the number of private sector employees remained stable.
In July, the EPA notes a slight decline in employment in the service sector (-0.3%), a decrease observed in the sectors of retail and wholesale trade, education, health care and social assistance. Growth of 0.6% was recorded in the goods sector during the month.
This stabilization of employment is observed in the majority of Canadian provinces, but a decrease in workers was observed in Ontario (-27,000, -0.4%) and Prince Edward Island (-2 300, -2.6%).
Slight jump in the number of self-employed workers
Self-employment has seen an increase over the past month. Down -2.2% in June, the number of self-employed workers grew by +1.3% in July. Self-employment totaled 13.6% of employment during the month, a decrease of 1.6% compared to the average recorded from 2017 to 2019.
Declining employment among women
The EPA recorded a decline in employment of -33,000 (-1.7%) among women aged 55 and over during the month of July. This decrease is mainly marked (-7.7%) in the group of women aged 65 and over.
Employment also fell among women in the working age group of 25 to 54 years. A drop of 31,000 (-0.5%) was recorded last month, a first since January 2022.
Unparalleled employment rate among First Nations living off reserve
The employment rate for First Nations workers living off reserve reached 61.0% in July, the highest rate recorded since data collection began in 2007. Among young First Nations men in the aged 15 to 24, the employment rate increased by +15.3% to reach 64.4%. A figure also increasing among young women of the same age group, with an increase of 12.9% (60.3%).
Source: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220805/dq220805a-eng.htm