The employment of women aged 25-54 increased 0.3 percentage points to 81.4%, while the employment rate for men aged 25-54 held steady at 87.2%. Employment for women and men aged 15-24 saw little change.

Women employment declined for women aged 55 years and older by -1.4% (-29,000), while men aged 55 years and older noticed little change.

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Employment in accommodation and food services grew by +2.4% (+26,000), following a decline of -2.7% (30,000) in January. Employment in professional, scientific, and technical services rose by +0.9% (18,000), offsetting a decline of -0.9% (17,000) in January. Employment also increased in "other services" (which includes personal and repair services) by +1.4% (+11,000) and public administration +0.7% (+9,000). These increases were offset by declines in the number of people working in the education services by -1.1% (17,000), followed by declines in manufacturing -0.8% (-14,000), business, building, and other support services -1.9% (-13,000) and agriculture -2.6%) (-6,000).

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Every month, Adecco Canada interprets the data from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey. Here’s what happened in February:

Employment gains continue to be outpaced by population growth

In February, employment rose 41,000, following a similar-sized increase in January. The employment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 61.5%, as population growth (+0.3%) continued to outpace employment growth (+0.2%).

Unemployment rate increases in February

As the population continues to grow at a fast pace, the unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage points to 5.8% in February, offsetting the decline recorded in January. This follows an upward trend from April 2023 to November 2023, when the rate increased from 5.1% to 5.8%.

Employment up in Alberta and Nova Scotia in February

Following little change in the previous two months, employment in Alberta rose by +0.7% (17,000) in February, bringing overall gains since September 2023 to +3.0% (73,000). Employment in Nova Scotia increased by +1.2% (6,300) in February, bringing cumulative gains since August 2023 to +5.1% (25,000). Manitoba employment declined by -0.7% (5,300) in February 2024, following an increase in January. Ontario and Quebec saw little change, holding steady at 4.7%.

Employment gains spread across services-producing industries

In February, employment in accommodation and food services grew by +2.4% (26,000), following a decline of -2.7% (30,000) in January. Employment in professional, scientific, and technical services rose by +0.9% (18,000) in February, offsetting a decline of -0.9% (17,000) in January. Employment also increased in "other services" (which includes personal and repair services) +1.4% (+11,000) and public administration +0.7% (+9,000).

On the other hand, the number of people working in education services fell by -1.1% (17,000) partially offsetting an increase of +1.8% (28,000) in January. Employment also declined in manufacturing -0.8% (-14,000), business, building, and other support services -1.9% (-13,000) and agriculture -2.6% (-6,000) in February.

Women in the Canadian labour market

In February, women accounted for 47.3% of the Canadian labour force, with 9.7 million women employed. The employment rate of women aged 25 to 54 was 81.4% in February, below the record high of 82.0% reached in January 2023 and March 2023. The employment rate for core-aged women was highest in Quebec (85.0%), 2.5 percentage points above New Brunswick (82.5%) and Nova Scotia (82.5%), and 3.6 percentage points above the national average of 81.4%. The employment rate of core-aged women was lowest in Ontario at 79.8%.

The experiences of women in the labour market can vary based on demographic characteristics. For instance, among core-aged women in 2023, the employment rate of Filipino women (87.1%) was notably higher than the national average (81.6%). Meanwhile, employment rates were lower for Arab women (60.8%) and West Asian women (66.3%).

The gender wage gap in Canada has declined over time but remains persistent. While women earn less than men across all broad occupational groups, the gap is more pronounced in male-dominated occupations. In manufacturing and utilities, core-aged women earned 22.4% less on average than their male counterparts in February, while in natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations, core-aged women earned 17.2% less. On the other hand, in health occupations, where women comprised 82.3% of the workforce, core-aged women earned 1.6% less on average than men.

Don’t have time for a long reading? We’ve summarized the key takeaways from this month:

• Employment increased by 41,000 as the employment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 61.5%, while population growth (+0.3%) continued to outpace employment growth (+0.2%).
• The unemployment rate increased 0.1 percentage points to 5.8%, offsetting a decline in January.
• Employment increase was led by Alberta by +0.7% (+17,000) and Nova Scotia by +1.2% (+6,300).
• On the other hand, Manitoba saw a decline by -0.7% (-5,300), while other provinces saw little change.
• Employment went up for core-aged women by +0.7% (+45,000) and men +0.3% (+23,000). At the same time, there were fewer women aged 55 and older employed -1.4% (-29,000).
• Employment in accommodation and food services increased by +2.4% (+26,000), followed by professional, scientific, and technical services +0.9% (+18,000).
• Educational services saw a decline by -1.1% (-17,000) and manufacturing by -0.8% (-14,000).
• The average hourly wage rose 5.0% on a year-over-year basis by +$1.66 ($34.82).
• Total hours worked were up (+0.3%) in the month but increased 1.3% compared to the past 12 months.

References

Statistics Canada. (2022). Table 14-10-0287-01 Labour force characteristics, monthly, seasonally adjusted and trend-cycle, last 5 months [Data table]. https://doi.org/10.25318/1410028701-eng

Statistics Canada. (2022). Table 14-10-0355-01 Employment by industry, monthly, seasonally adjusted and unadjusted, and trend-cycle, last 5 months (x 1,000) [Data table]. https://doi.org/10.25318/1410035501-eng

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Employment in accommodation and food services grew by +2.4% (+26,000), following a decline of -2.7% (30,000) in January. Employment in professional, scientific, and technical services rose by +0.9% (18,000), offsetting a decline of -0.9% (17,000) in January. Employment also increased in "other services" (which includes personal and repair services) by +1.4% (+11,000) and public administration +0.7% (+9,000). These increases were offset by declines in the number of people working in the education services by -1.1% (17,000), followed by declines in manufacturing -0.8% (-14,000), business, building, and other support services -1.9% (-13,000) and agriculture -2.6%) (-6,000).

Unemployment rate | Employment | Analysis | Other locations | Subscribe

Unemployment rate | Employment | Analysis | Other locations | Subscribe

Unemployment rate | Employment | Analysis | Other locations | Subscribe

Unemployment rate | Employment | Analysis | Other locations | Subscribe