Statistics Canada published on January 7, 2022, a Labour Force Survey for the week of December 5 to 11. According to the survey, there was an employment growth of 55,000, which is a 0.3% increase.
The unemployment rate also slightly dropped to 5.9% when compared to November (6%). In addition, there was a higher proportion of core-aged employed newcomers than before the pandemic. The share of the very recent immigrants in the core working-age group also increased by 7.8%.
There were 123,000 more full-time jobs (+1.8%), while there were 68,000 fewer part-time jobs (-1.9%). Total hours worked were little changed in December. Employment among core-aged men aged 25 to 54 increased by 63,000 (+1.0%), making it 162,000 (+2.5%) higher than in February 2020.
Since June 2021, the employment rate for core-aged women also had been trending upward, and it was 130,000 (+2.2%) above its pre-pandemic level in December 2020. Public-sector employment increased by 32,000 (+0.8%), while the number of private-sector employees and self-employed workers barely changed.
Among workers who worked at least half their usual hours, the proportion who worked from home was little changed in December 2021 at 23.8%. In December 2021, average hourly wages increased by 2.7% (+$0.80). The labor force participation rate remained roughly the same as before the pandemic at 65.3%.
The number of employed people increased in Ontario and Saskatchewan, but declined in Newfoundland and Labrador. In December, the unemployment rate was 5.9% which little changed from November and slightly above its pre-pandemic February 2020 level (5.7%).