According to the most recent Labour Force Survey (December 2022), women between the ages of 25 and 54 (defined to be of the prime working population) saw an increase in employment of 0.4%.
The most recent job results of the new Canadian immigrants are of specific importance, especially in light of the fact that Canada’s most recent Immigration Levels Plan (2023-2025) declared record-high immigration objectives over the next few years. In December 2022, the rate of employment for core working-age women immigrants to Canada over the previous five years was 69.7%. For newly arrived Canadian women of prime working age, this reflects the greatest employment rate in December in the previous 16 years.
In December 2022, the overall employment rate for Canadians who are of core working age increased by 0.8% year over year (YOY), reaching 84.7%. Core-aged women drove this increase. The employment rate for this category has increased to 81.6%, breaking the prior record high of 81.4% achieved in May 2022. Now at 87.8%, the employment rate for men in the core working age group.
Significant trends in employment in Canada
Looking at Canadian employment more broadly, 10,000 additional jobs were added nationwide in December 2022. Canada’s 5.1% national unemployment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage points. In December, Canada’s employment participation rate decreased as well, to 64.8%.
The “average hourly salaries of employees stayed above 5% for a sixth straight month in December, given this fairly modest job growth.
Trends in employment by province
When deciding where to live after arriving in Canada, newcomers take into account a variety of criteria, including the likelihood of finding the best career opportunities. The most recent Labour Force Survey demonstrates that different regions in Canada’s 13 provinces and territories witnessed various employment prospects.
For example, there was little change in Canada’s remaining four provinces and three territories while employment rose in Quebec but fell in five other provinces. The results are listed below.
Quebec: The province’s unemployment rate “hit a new record low of 3.8%” in December 2022, while total employment climbed by 28,000 jobs. In Montréal, where jobs increased by 1.1%, the majority of the reported job growth was concentrated.
Prince Edward Island: Due to a 1.7% total decline in employment, the unemployment rate increased to 6.8%.
Newfoundland and Labrador: Although total employment in Newfoundland and Labrador fell by 1.5%, the unemployment rate held unchanged at 10.7%.
Manitoba: Employment fell by 0.8% in Manitoba, although the provincial rate of unemployment remained at 4.4%.
Alberta: As employment fell by 0.6% in the province, the unemployment rate increased to 5.8%.
British Columbia: In December, the province’s overall employment fell by 0.5%. The sector of part-time jobs suffered all deficits.
Ontario: The province-wide unemployment rate decreased by 0.4 percentage points to 5.5%.
Trends in employment by industry
Finance, real estate, renting and leasing, insurance, manufacturing, information, entertainment, and leisure all saw increases in employment across Canada (ICR).
While retail commerce accounted for 11.2% of all jobs in Canada, “the number of persons working in real estate, banking, insurance, rental, and leasing climbed by 21,000 in December.”
In December 2022, manufacturing employment increased across Canada by 1.1%. Alberta saw the largest gain in industry employment throughout this period, at 4.7%. Quebec saw a gain of over 10,000 manufacturing jobs, which was another major growth in employment in this sector.
Employment in the ICR sector increased by 1.9% in December and by 4.5% over the previous year.
On the other hand, employment overall in Canada decreased in the wholesale, retail, and construction sectors.
Since the most recent Labour Force Survey in October 2022, employment in the construction business has decreased by 1.6% across Canada. The most notable places for these reductions were British Columbia and Alberta. Employment in the wholesale and retail trade decreased in December as well, falling 0.8%, in a sector that has gone through a total reduction of 4.4% since May 2022. This industry’s downturn was primarily concentrated in Ontario and Alberta.
Professional, scientific, and engineering support jobs in Canada decreased by 0.8% in December 2022, and the computer and communications technology industry saw a 3.8% YOY employment reduction, with 34,000 fewer people employed in this field than in December 2021.
Going forward
The employment statistics by industry listed above provide an explanation of why Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are becoming more significant in the immigration of Canadians nationwide. It is clear that the government is working harder to solve specific labor market deficiencies in all Canadian regions that operate a PNP because Canada is expected to keep recruiting more foreign citizens through PNPs than through Express Entry.
The federal government’s primary mechanism for having foreign skilled employees to Canada through the permanent residence, Express Entry lottery, is set to undergo modifications starting as early as next year due to industry-specific employment fluctuations.
Canada expects to start holding Express Entry lotteries in Q1 2023 that directly target foreign nationals in particular professions or with specified educational backgrounds or language proficiency. Additionally, Canada just changed from the NOC 2016 system to the NOC 2021 system, which is a new TEER system. With the help of this new system, Canada will be able to better comprehend its labor market, anticipate occupation analyze labor supply and demand, and provide both Canadians and foreigners with more specialized job training and skill development.
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