Moving2Canada Jobs Report: February 2019

Between Express Entry and the Parent and Grandparent Program, Canada invited more than 40,000 new immigration applications in January. Throw in another 40,000 or so who were invited to apply under the International Experience Canada (IEC) program, and you’ve already got the equivalent of a small city of newcomers-to-be now well on their way to Canada this year, with plenty more to come. Luckily for them, they’ll be arriving in a Canada that boasts steady economic growth and plenty of new jobs.

Last month we informed you that landed immigrants (those who have been granted the right to live in Canada permanently by immigration authorities, and are not Canadian by birth or by virtue of a study, work permit or refugee claimants) had an unemployment rate of 5.8 percent. Well, this month we are pleased to report that this figure has remained constant.

The number of people employed in Canada grew by 67,000 in January. However, the unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points to 5.8 percent as more people looked for work in the first month of the year.

Looking at the unemployment figures from a provincial perspective, it was a little bit of a mixed bag as Quebec and most of the Atlantic provinces saw their unemployment numbers fall, while out west Alberta and British Columbia saw their respective rates rise.

From an industry viewpoint, much of the positive news in January was thanks to a 34,000 figure increase in the wholesale and retail trades. While jobs in the professional, scientific and technical services increased by 29,000 in January.

Canada Job Market January 2019 update

New Canadian employment figures are released each month, and you’ll always find the latest data here on our Moving2Canada Jobs Report.

The data below comes from the Labour Force Survey, produced by Statistics Canada.

• To view jobs in Canada, visit our Jobs Board
• Visit our Resume Format in Canada page for help with your resume
• Practical advice for finding jobs in Canada
• For construction jobs in Canada, visit Outpost Recruitment

Landed immigrant unemployment rate continues to fall

The news that landed immigrants now have an unemployment rate of 5.8 percent is undoubtedly a welcome development. It is also further evidence that the Canadian government’s pro-immigrant policies are having a real and positive impact on the Canadian economy.

The concerted efforts of the Canadian government to implement pro-immigrant policies that attract the best and brightest to Canada, combined with the typically strong work ethic of immigrants who come to the country ,means that this relationship is likely to remain mutually beneficial for the months and years ahead. What’s more, given that 2019 is an election year in Canada, it should come as no surprise that this positive story will be one that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party will bring to voters across Canada this coming October.

A deeper dive into immigrant employment trends in Canada shows that that two of the three groups measured by Statistics Canada — those who landed here more than five years ago, and those who landed here more than five but less than 10 years ago — saw year-on-year decreases in January 2019 for new totals of 8.6 and 7 percent, respectively.

Finally from a continent-specific point of view, the North and Latin American populations in Canada both saw their unemployment rates fall in January, while the Asian number stayed the same at 5.9 percent.

Notice: Immigrant unemployment rates are not available in seasonally adjusted statistics.

Employment up over 327,000 since January 2018

The standout figure from January in terms of overall employment was that there was a year-on-year increase in overall employment of 327,000, or 1.8 percent. Over the same period, total hours worked rose by 1.2 percent.

Overall employment gains were almost entirely driven by private sector job growth, while the number of self-employed people decreased and the number of public sector employees remained pretty constant.

Finally, from a demographic perspective, employment increased for both young women and men aged 15 to 24, as well as for men aged 55 and over. At the same time, employment was down for women aged 55 and over.

Slight rise in unemployment rate but many provinces still moving in the right direction

The first month of 2019 saw the unemployment rate across Canada increase by 0.2 percentage points for a new total of 5.8 percent.

Taken in isolation, this may look like bad news. However, the reality is that even though the unemployment rate increased slightly this month, the reality is that many provinces saw their month-on-month figures drop. From our informative graphic above you can see that almost all the Atlantic provinces, as well as Quebec, experienced declines in their respective provincial unemployment rates last month. By contrast, the western provinces of Alberta and B.C. saw their rates rise slightly.

Industry in focus: Construction 

The latest BuildForce Canada labour market report for the construction sector points to the fact that the demand for labour looks set to be strong in British Columbia for the next decade. By contrast, BC’s westerly neighbours, Alberta and Saskatchewan, look set to endure some short-term declines, but the medium- and long-term future looks far more promising with housing and capital projects both expected to contribute positively to the construction industry in both provinces. Out east, Prince Edward Island looks set to have its busiest construction season ever in 2019, but labour shortages, a consistent theme of this month’s report, may prove problematic.

More broadly, the construction outlook across Canada remains positive if a little less vibrant than many would like. Almost full employment combined with six-straight quarters of higher spending in the non-residential segment and progress on several major projects should have confidence at an all time high as we move into 2019. However, a number of legacy issues from 2018, including skilled labour shortages and technology integration concerns, mean that certain construction experts hold reservations about the growth potential in 2019.

Moving2Canada and Outpost Recruitment Founder, Ruairi Spillane

Touching on the retirement conundrum facing the Canadian construction industry in 2019, Moving2Canada founder and Outpost Recruitment head, Ruairi Spillane had this to say:

“In 2019, it is likely that we will see more construction workers retire. These skilled positions need to be filled if the growth experienced by the construction industry in Canada recently is to continue. To be clear, this is not a BC-specific issue. If you look at cities like Toronto there is a clear shortage of skilled labour, and this can cause delays and cancellation of projects. In my mind, the most efficient way of solving this problem is to ensure skilled immigrant workers are in a position to access these jobs.”

At Moving2Canada, we feel that there is a great opportunity for the current labour shortages and projected concerns in the construction sector to be filled by skilled immigrants who can often move to Canada through one of the country’s economic programs and integrate quickly into their job and life here in Canada.

November 2018 was a historic month for Canada’s labour force as unemployment fell to its lowest level in over 40 years, and immigrants played a crucial role in making this momentous reduction a reality.

The monthly unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage points to 5.6 percent in November 2018, thereby representing the lowest figure since comparable data became available in 1976. This month-to-month reduction in unemployment figures across Canada was thanks to a surge in primarily full-time employment of 94,000 in November.

From an immigrant perspective, the positive trends seen in September and October continued into November as unemployment levels fell across almost all immigrant categories. Much like October, immigrants who have been living in Canada for more than a decade had an unemployment level of 5.1 percent — a remarkable 0.5 percentage points lower than this month’s record low of 5.6 percent for total unemployment in Canada.

Looking at the unemployment numbers from a provincial vantage point, British Columbia remains out in front when it comes to the lowest unemployment rate, even though the province saw its unemployment rate increase by 0.3 percentage points to 4.4 percent. Elsewhere, Newfoundland and Labrador continued its impressive unemployment reductions in recent months by shaving a further 0.5 percentage points off its unemployment total from October 2018.

In terms of industry specific metrics, many of the gains in November 2018 were because of a growth in construction to the measure of 14,800 jobs. Moreover, 26,000 new positions in the professional, scientific and technical services were also created last month.

Canada Job Market November 2018 update

New Canadian employment figures are released each month, and you’ll always find the latest data here on our Moving2Canada Jobs Report.

The data below comes from the Labour Force Survey, produced by Statistics Canada.

• To view jobs in Canada, visit our Jobs Board
• Visit our Resume Format in Canada page for help with your resume
• Practical advice for finding jobs in Canada
• For construction jobs in Canada, visit Outpost Recruitment

Unemployment among recent immigrants to Canada falls further

While it its true that immigrants who have been based in Canada for more than 10 years continue to be the group with the lowest unemployment rate, reductions were also clear in all other immigrant groups in November.

For instance, immigrants who have lived in Canada for less than five years saw unemployment levels fall by 0.4 percentage points in November, while those who have just arrived also had a further unemployment reduction in November for a new total of 5.9 percent. Both of the reductions emphasize how immigrant workers continue to integrate successfully into the Canadian labour force.

From a continent-specific point of view, four of the five immigrant source regions saw unemployment fall in November, with immigrants from North America and Africa both registering reductions of 0.6 percentage points for new totals of 4.7 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively.

The only immigrant region that did not see its unemployment numbers drop was the European cohort, which increased by 0.1 percentage point to 5.2 percent in November. However, this total still represents the second-lowest unemployment rate among all immigrant groups.

Notice: Immigrant unemployment rates are not available in seasonally adjusted statistics.

Immigrants continue to prosper in Canadian economy as unemployment falls further

The positive integration trends of immigrants in Canada was in further evidence in October as unemployment levels fell across almost all immigrant categories. Immigrants who have been based in Canada for more than 10 years saw a further reduction in unemployment levels in October to 5.4 percent, which remains below the national average, and emphasizes how well immigrant workers continue to integrate into the Canadian labour force.

More broadly, unemployment in Canada changed little in October 2018 with the unemployment rate decreasing by 0.1 percentage point to 5.8 percent as fewer people searched for work. From a provincial perspective, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and British Columbia have seen the biggest drops from this time last year.

In terms of industry specific metrics, gains in the business and retail sectors was offset to a large degree by decreases in the finance and real estate industries.

Canada Job Market October 2018 update

New Canadian employment figures are released each month, and you’ll always find the latest data here on our Moving2Canada Jobs Report.

The data below comes from the Labour Force Survey, produced by Statistics Canada.

• To view jobs in Canada, visit our Jobs Board
• Visit our Resume Format in Canada page for help with your resume
• Practical advice for finding jobs in Canada
• For construction jobs in Canada, visit Outpost Recruitment

Immigrants prospering in global Canada

Unemployment among immigrants resident in Canada for more than five but less than ten years fell by 2.3 percentage points to 6 percent, while those in the country five years or less have returned to an unemployment rate of less than 10 percent for the first time since June.

In addition, unemployment decreased among the African, Asian, European and North American immigrant groups in October. In fact, only the Latin American grouping, which saw a minor unemployment increase of 0.2 percentage points, didn’t record a month-on-month reduction from September.

In terms of annual unemployment levels among immigrant groups in Canada, African immigrants continued their strong showing of late, shaving 3.8 percentage points off the October 2017 figure for a new total of 8.5 percent. While Europeans and North Americans continue to be the top performers in terms of immigrant unemployment with current levels of 5.1 percent and 5.3 percent respectively.

Notice: Immigrant unemployment rates are not available in seasonally adjusted statistics.

Steady as she goes for Canadian jobs market in October

In the 12 months to October 2018, the number of people employed in Canada grew by 206,000 or 1.1 percent, illustrating the health of the Canadian jobs market at present.

Despite a month-on-month reduction in the size of the Canadian Labour Force of approximately 18,000, the year-on-year figure since October 2017 is up over 126,000 to 19,846,700.

Finally, part-time employment in Canada has reduced by 22,000 since September but this figure is more than offset by a 33,900 increase in the numbers in full-time work.

British Columbia continues to lead the way

From a provincial perspective, the fall in the number of people unemployed in the Canadian job market in October was largely down to the coastal regions. In both British Columbia and Prince Edward, the numbers unemployed has decreased significantly both on a monthly and yearly perspective. Prince Edward Island saw a drop of 1.5 percentage points for a total of 7.2 percent, while British Columbia continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in Canada at 4.1 percent following a 0.1 percentage point drop in October.

Ontario saw its unemployment rate fall for the first time in three months with those unemployed falling to 5.6 percent following consecutive monthly increases in August and September.

Newfoundland and Labrador remains the province with the highest unemployment rate at 12.7 percent, but October saw the province decrease its unemployment rate by 0.9 percentage points to add to the 0.8 percentage point decrease in September.

Industry in focus: Marijuana

On October 17, 2018 Canada become only the second country in the world, after Uruguay in 2013, to legalize marijuana, and while many of the headlines have focused on the social, cultural and political legacy of this decision, the reality is that its economic impact is no less important.

Although still in its infancy, the marijuana industry has the potential to create thousands of jobs in a variety of sectors across Canada. The legalization of marijuana has led to a proliferation of new marijuana production companies, as well as an expansion of existing businesses, and this rapidly-growing sector shows no sign of abating.

If economic indicators are correct, and there’s no reason to believe that they’re not, there is a massive opportunity for entrepreneurs and employees to blossom in a burgeoning industry. After all, this sector has been valued as highly as $23 billion dollars by Deloitte when production, sales, transportation, security, tourism and taxation are taken into account.

Suffice to say, it shouldn’t be long before the marijuana industry starts making a splash in the Canadian jobs market.