Statistics Canada: 51,600 jobs lost, but full-time work increases
Downturn economy saw the 51,600 jobs lost last month, pushed up the unemployment rate and essentially canceled a big gain in July, according to Statistics Canada.
The country’s unemployment rate reached 6% in August, up from 5.8% in July, according to the survey.
The often approximate monthly job numbers followed an increase of 54,100 positions in July.
Economists expected an increase of 5,000 jobs for August and an unemployment rate of 5.9 percent, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon.
The fall last month was fueled by a loss of 92,000 part-time positions. On the positive side, however, the number of full-time jobs in August increased by 40,400.
Ontario has experienced the largest decline in the provinces by far with a loss of 80,100 jobs – almost all part-time. Reading declined by 1.1 percent for the province and pushed its unemployment rate to 5.7 percent, from 5.4 percent.
Alberta earned 16,200 jobs last month, including 11,000 full-time jobs, with an overall increase of 0.7 percent.
Compared to 12 months earlier, Canada’s overall employment increased by 0.9 percent following the addition of 171,700 jobs, including 326,100 full-time jobs.
For employee work, the economy lost 38,000 jobs in the public sector last month, while the private sector lost 30,700 jobs.
The average growth in hourly wages, closely observed by the Bank of Canada, continued its gradual slide last month to 2.9% after the 3.2% expansion in July and 3.6% in June.
From industry, the goods production sector lost 30,400 jobs last month in a decline driven by significant losses of 16,400 positions in the construction sector and a decline of 9,200 in the manufacturing sector.
The service sector threw 21,200 jobs in August after losing 22,100 positions in professional, scientific and technical services.
