April 10, 2023

Employment rose by 35,000 (+0.2%) in March, and the unemployment rate held steady at 5.0%.

There were more people employed in transportation and warehousing (+41,000; +4.2%); business, building and other support services (+31,000; +4.4%); as well as finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (+19,000; +1.3%).

At the same time, employment declined in construction (-19,000; -1.2%); “other services” (which includes personal and repair services) (-11,000; -1.5%); and natural resources (-11,000; -3.2%).

There were fewer women aged 55 to 64 working (-13,000; -0.8%), partially offsetting gains in the previous month. Overall, employment was unchanged among women and rose among men.

The number of employees grew in the private sector (+35,000; +0.3%) in March, while there was little change in public sector employment and in the number of self-employed workers.

Employment increased in Ontario (+21,000; +0.3%), Alberta (+14,000; +0.6%), Manitoba (+3,300; +0.5%) and Prince Edward Island (+1,700; +2.0%). There were fewer people employed in Saskatchewan (-4,300; -0.7%). There was little change in employment in the other provinces.

Total hours worked rose 0.4% in March and were up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis.

Average hourly wages rose 5.3% (+$1.68 to $33.12) on a year-over-year basis in March, compared with 5.4% in February (not seasonally adjusted).

The employment rate of South Asian core-aged (25 to 54 years old) Canadians increased in the 12 months to March.

Employment grew by 35,000 (+0.2%) in March, following little change in February and strong growth in January (+150,000) and December (+69,000). Employment has generally trended up since September 2022. Over that period, the number of people employed has increased by 383,000 (+1.9%).

Employment gains in March were concentrated among private sector employees (+35,000; +0.3%). There was little change in the number of public sector employees and self-employed workers.

Employment up in three industries, led by transportation and warehousing

The number of people working in transportation and warehousing rose by 41,000 (+4.2%) in March, following little change in February, and offsetting a net decline of 41,000 from February 2022 to January 2023.

Following a decline in February 2023, employment in business, building and other support services—which includes activities that support the day-to-day operations of organizations, ranging from waste management to administrative services—was up by 31,000 (+4.4%) in March. It was the first monthly increase for the industry since November 2021. The number of workers in business, building and other support services in March was the highest since February 2020.

There were more people working in finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (+19,000; +1.3%) in March 2023, continuing an upward trend over the last year. On a year-over-year basis, employment in the industry grew by 58,000 (+4.3%).

In the construction industry, employment fell by 19,000 (-1.2%) in March, following little change in February and partly offsetting cumulative increases of 42,000 in December and January.

The number of people working in natural resources was down 11,000 (-3.2%) in March, following eight months of little change. This decline was concentrated in Quebec (-5,000; -11.8%), which accounted for almost half of the monthly national decrease.

Employment in health care and social assistance was little changed in March, following increases in January (+40,000; +1.5%) and February (+15,000; +0.6%). The number of job vacancies in the sector increased to its highest level on record in January.

Employment in professional, scientific and technical services held steady in March for a third consecutive month. On a year-over-year basis, employment in the industry was up 5.2% (+93,000), largely reflecting strong gains in the spring and fall of 2022.

Employment rate of core-aged women remains near record high

Employment rose by 22,000 (+0.2%) among men in March, while it varied little among women. The employment rate—the percentage of people aged 15 and older who are employed—was unchanged at 62.4% in March, just below the recent high observed in January (62.5%). On a year-over-year basis, the employment rate rose 0.5 percentage points to 58.9% for women, while it was little changed at 65.9% for men.

The proportion of core-aged (25 to 54 years old) women employed was 82.0% in March, little changed from the previous month and comparable to the record high of 82.2% observed in January. The employment rate among core-aged women with the youngest child under 6 years old was 76.2% in March, up 1.7 percentage points compared with 12 months earlier (not seasonally adjusted). This increase may reflect increased job opportunities associated with a tight labour market, as well as a range of other factors, such as changes in household financial pressures and access to childcare.

For core-aged men, the employment rate was 87.8% in March, down 0.3 percentage points compared with February and down 0.6 percentage points compared with the recent peak of 88.4% observed in March and April of 2022. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment rose at a slower pace for core-aged men (+89,000; +1.3%) than for core-age women (+172,000; +2.8%).

After reaching a record high in February, the employment rate for women aged 55 to 64 fell 0.5 percentage points to 60.3% in March, as employment among women in this age group dropped by 13,000 (-0.8%). The employment rate among men aged 55 to 64 was unchanged at 70.3%. Employment for both women and men in this age group had generally trended upward since August 2022.

The employment rate among youth aged 15 to 24 was 59.6% in March, little changed from February. Employment for youth has trended up since October 2022, and there were 57,000 (+2.1%) more young people employed in March 2023 than 12 months earlier.

For the fourth consecutive month, the unemployment rate was 5.0% in March, just above the record low of 4.9% observed in June and July of 2022.

Most unemployed people in March 2023 had been unemployed for 13 weeks or less (63.4%). The proportion who had been unemployed for 27 weeks or more—the long-term unemployed—was 16.0%, down from 20.3% a year earlier.

In March, the unemployment rate fell 0.8 percentage points for male youth to 9.9%, and fell 0.6 percentage points for female youth to 8.5%. Their rates were little changed from 12 months earlier.

The unemployment rates for core-aged women and men have hovered around historical lows in the past 12 months, and were both little changed in March. For core-aged women, the unemployment rate in March (4.2%) was up slightly compared with the record low of 4.0% in January 2023. For core-aged men, the rate in March (4.4%) was 0.5 percentage points above the record low of 3.9% in June 2022.

Source: Statistics Canada
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