Employment was little changed in Canada in August (+22,000 or +0.1%).
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The unemployment rate declined by 0.1 percentage points to 6.2%, matching the most recent low of October 2008, the month prior to the 2008-2009 labour-market downturn.
An increase in the number of people working part time (+110,000) was mostly offset by a decline in the number of people employed full time (-88,000).
While the increase in part-time employment was spread across the age groups, most of the decrease in full-time employment occurred for youth aged 15 to 24. The overall employment decline for youth was accompanied by a notable decrease in their labour force participation.
In the 12 months to August, employment rose by 374,000 (+2.1%), with gains in both full-time (+213,000 or +1.5%) and part-time work (+161,000 or +4.6%). Over this period, the number of hours worked increased by 2.2%.
From July to August, there were more employed men and women aged 55 and older. In contrast, there was a decline in the number of employed youths aged 15 to 24. Employment held steady for the core-aged demographic group of 25- to- 54 year-olds.
Provincially, Ontario was the lone province with a notable employment gain in August. Employment declined in Nova Scotia and was little changed in the other provinces.
In August, more people were working in finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing as well as in transportation and warehousing. At the same time, employment fell in manufacturing, in the "other services" industry and in natural resources.
There were more self-employed workers in August, while the number of employees was little changed in both the private and public sectors.
For men aged 55 and older, employment increased by 28,000 in August after five months of little change.
The unemployment rate for men in this age group rose by 0.3 percentage points to 5.6%, the result of more people participating in the labour market.
Compared with 12 months earlier, employment for men aged 55 and older increased by 85,000 (+4.1%).
Employment for women aged 55 and older increased for the third consecutive month, up 20,000 in August.
The unemployment rate for this group was 5.1%. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment for women aged 55 and older grew by 75,000 (+4.4%).
Among workers aged 55 and older, about 8 in 10 are between the ages of 55 and 64. The estimated year-over-year employment growth rate (unadjusted for seasonality) for 55- to- 64-year-olds was 3.4% in August, and their population increased by 2.0%.
While population growth was similar for men and women in this age group, employment grew at a faster pace for women (+4.5%) than for men (+2.5%). ■