OTTAWA – Canada’s unions are raising the alarm that many workers are facing a bleak winter of unemployment and under-employment with no immediate relief in sight. November’s labour force survey released today by Statistics Canada showed high rates of long-term unemployment. A total of 1.5 million people are currently unemployed and looking for work; 400,000 have been without work for…
Canada’s unions say further efforts are required to support unemployed workers and to preserve existing jobs as the number of Canadians who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic continues to rise. According to Statistics Canada, employment fell by one million in March and the ranks of the unemployed grew by 413,000. Canada’s unemployment rate rose by 2.2 percentage…
CLC’s 2019 Q3 Labour Market Snapshot shows need for national child care strategy
November 15, 2019
OTTAWA – Recently released Statistics Canada data shows that women identify child care and family responsibilities as their main barrier to full-time employment, concludes a recent Labour Force Survey analysis by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). Part-time jobs in Canada are typically low-wage with no benefits. The gap between part-time and full-time wage earners currently sits at approximately $9 per…
In the CLC’s latest Labour Market Snapshot, analysis shows that Canada’s strong job numbers mask the reality of struggling young workers. While unemployment rates continue to fall overall, many Canadians aged 15-29 are staying in school or giving up looking for work altogether. In particular, the number of people aged 25 to 29 who are not in employment, education,…
Labour Market Snapshot – Q1 2019: Behind the headlines
May 31, 2019
How is Canada’s economy really doing? The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) provides a detailed quarterly analysis of select labour market indicators and what it means for Canada’s workers. In our spring snapshot, the CLC discovers that while job growth in Canada is strong, garnering laudatory headlines, there is a hidden story. While the unemployment rate hovered near 40-year lows, the…
Canadian workers are building the economy, but many working families cannot make ends meet. The labour movement works to change this, advocating for a range of policies. Unions bargain for better wages and benefits, helping workers and their families and creating a more just, prosperous and equitable society.
Job numbers: Job creation not keeping up with labour force growth
May 6, 2016
Statistics Canada job numbers released today show that job creation isn’t keeping up with labour force growth — over the past year, the number of workers in the labour force grew by 212,200 but the economy only created 144,000 jobs. The numbers show that the problem isn’t just in the energy sector. Canada has lost 22,800 jobs in the natural…
Upcoming federal budget is an opportunity to act on disappointing job numbers
March 11, 2016
The Canadian Labour Congress says it is looking to the March 22 federal budget for urgent government action, after months of disappointing job growth. The latest numbers, released today by Statistics Canada, show that the Canadian labour market continued to sputter in February. The unemployment rate rose to 7.3 percent, the highest it has been for approaching three years. The number…
Canada’s largest labour organization says today’s job numbers from Statistics Canada highlight the need for the kind of economic stimulus that urgently needed Employment Insurance (EI) reforms would produce now. The job market was stagnant in January and unemployment rose to 7.2 percent. In Alberta, unemployment rose to 7.4 percent, the first time it has been above the national average…
November job numbers show Canada’s economic situation remains precarious
December 4, 2015
Statistics Canada’s most recent Labour Force Survey results are cause for concern, as they demonstrate a continuing, precarious economic situation. Employment fell by 36,000 jobs in November, and the unemployment rate rose to 7.1 per cent. Nova Scotia and Manitoba saw massive increases in unemployment. Saskatchewan was the only province to see any job gains this month. “Looking at these…