As immigrants integrate into the Canadian labour market, many initially face difficulties finding employment. A new study reveals that even university-educated immigrants aged 25 to 54 who arrived in Canada within the previous five years were less likely to be employed in 2007 than their Canadian born counterparts. This was true regardless of the country in which they obtained their degree.

Employment rates for these immigrants varied according to where they received their university degree, with those educated in Western countries generally having higher rates than those educated elsewhere.

The gap in employment rates between degree-holding immigrants and the Canadian born, however, narrowed the longer an immigrant had been in Canada. For university-educated immigrants who had landed in Canada more than 10 years earlier, their employment rate in 2007 was comparable to that of the Canadian born.

Over one-third of immigrants have a university degree
In 2007, 37 percent or 1.2 million immigrants of core working age, those aged 25 to 54, had a university degree, compared with only 22 percent of the core working-age Canadian born. The difference was even more pronounced among those who immigrated between 2002 and 2007, with more than half of these immigrants, or 320,000, having a university degree.

Within that group of recent newcomers, over half had received their highest degree in Asia, followed distantly by Europe, Canada, Africa, Latin America and the United States.

Recent newcomers with Canadian degrees have lower employment rates
In 2007, out of all core working-age immigrants with a degree, one in three, or more than 420,000, had obtained their highest degree in Canada. Most of these Canadian-educated immigrants had arrived in Canada before 1997.

About 28,000 core working-age immigrants who landed between 2002 and 2007 received their highest degree in Canada. Despite their Canadian education, the employment rate in 2007 for these newcomers was 75.3 percent, much lower than the average of 90.7 percent for their Canadian born, university-educated counterparts.

Age and school attendance influence immigrant employment rates
There are a number of reasons why immigrants, particularly those who had landed more recently, may have had difficulty finding employment. Past studies have pointed to difficulties such as foreign credential recognition, language barriers, comparability of educational attainment, lack of Canadian work experience and knowledge of the Canadian labour market.

The gap in employment rates between degree-holding immigrants and the Canadian born narrowed the longer an immigrant had been in Canada. Among university-educated immigrants who had landed in Canada more than 10 years earlier, about 60 percent had a Canadian university degree. These immigrants had an employment rate in 2007 comparable to that of the Canadian born.

On average, these immigrants were much closer in age to their Canadian born peers. This, combined with their time in Canada, likely provided them with the tools and work experience to improve their chances of getting employment.

Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec
This study also explores the employment rates of immigrants aged 25 to 54 within the three provinces where the vast majority of immigrants choose to settle: Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec.

Quebec had the highest proportion of immigrants who had a Canadian university degree, regardless of period of landing. British Columbia, which has a high proportion of Asian immigrants, had the highest share of immigrants with a degree from Asia. In Ontario, immigrants with Asian or Canadian degrees were most common.

In Ontario and British Columbia, immigrants with Canadian degrees had employment rates similar to those of Canadian born graduates regardless of their landing period. In Quebec, however, immigrants with Canadian degrees who had arrived since 1997 had an employment rate well below that of their Canadian born counterparts.

In the three provinces, the employment rate among university-educated immigrants who arrived prior to 1997 was close to that of their Canadian born counterparts. There was one notable exception: for the 61,000 Asian-educated immigrants in Ontario who arrived prior to 1997, their employment rate was below that of their Canadian born counterparts.

Posts-Secondary Certificates or Diplomas
In 2007, 29 percent or about 900,000 immigrants aged 25 to 54 had a post-secondary certificate or diploma (excluding a university degree). With few exceptions, immigrants with this level of education, regardless of when they landed or where they received their diploma, had employment rates well below that of similarly-educated Canadian born.

The most notable exception was immigrants with diplomas who had landed before 1997 and had obtained their post-secondary diploma within Canada. This group, representing almost half of all immigrants with diplomas, had an employment rate that was comparable with that of their Canadian born counterparts.

Canada’s national crime rate, based on data reported by police, declined for the third consecutive year in 2007, continuing the downward trend in police-reported crime since the rate peaked in 1991.

The 7 percent drop in the national crime rate was driven mainly by decreases in counterfeiting and high-volume property offences such as theft ($5,000 and under), break-ins and motor vehicle thefts.

Following two years of increases in most serious violent offences, police reported fewer homicides, attempted murders, sexual assaults and robberies in 2007.

Police-reported crime rates were down in all provinces and territories, except Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.

Violent crime
Police reported 594 homicides, down slightly from 606 in 2006. The homicide rate fell for the second year in a row, continuing a long-term decline that began in the mid-1970s.

In 2007, there were almost 30,000 robberies. While the robbery rate declined 5 percent from 2006, it has remained relatively stable since 2000. Robbery committed with a firearm declined 12 percent from the previous year to its lowest point in more than 30 years.

The two most serious forms of assault, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, remained virtually unchanged in 2007. Prior to 2007, the offence of assault with a weapon had increased in each of the previous seven years, reaching an all-time high in 2006.

Property crime
Police reported just over 230,000 break-ins, of which about 6 in 10 were residential. The rate of residential break-ins fell 9 percent in 2007 and break-ins to businesses dropped 8 percent.

The rate of break-ins has been steadily declining since peaking in 1991, reaching its lowest level in over 40 years. According to Statistics Canada’s General Social Survey, Canadians increased their use of home security devices, such as burglar alarms and motion detectors, between 1999 and 2004.

On average, there were about 400 motor vehicle thefts per day in 2007, totalling over 145,000 incidents. The rate of motor vehicle theft has been declining since its peak in 1996, including a 9 percent drop in 2007.

Research suggests that factors such as anti-theft devices built into newer model vehicles, as well as specialised police enforcement teams have contributed to the decrease.

Youth crime
About 176,000 youth aged 12 to 17 were accused of a criminal offence last year. This includes youths who were either formally charged by police or dealt with by other means such as a warning, caution, or referral to a diversionary program.

The youth crime rate, which has remained relatively stable over the past decade, declined 1.5 percent in 2007 following a 3.3 percent increase in 2006. The 2007 drop was due to a decrease in non-violent crimes.

The youth violent crime rate remained stable in 2007 after increasing steadily over the past two decades. The 2007 rate was more than double the rate reported in the mid-1980s.

The provinces
Among the provinces, the highest crime rates were in Western Canada, continuing a pattern observed over the past 30 years.

Despite a 3.5 percent decline, Saskatchewan continued to report the highest overall crime rate, as well as the highest rate of violent crime. British Columbia had the highest property crime rate, primarily the result of a large number of thefts $5,000 and under.

For the fourth year in a row, the lowest provincial rates occurred in Ontario and Quebec.

Police reported declines in homicide in every province except Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick. The homicide rates in British Columbia and Quebec were at their lowest in over 40 years.

Manitoba reported 62 homicides, 23 more than in 2006, giving it the highest rate among the provinces and its highest homicide rate since recording began in 1961. Most of the increase occurred in small urban and rural areas. The province also reported a large increase in attempted murder, up 53 percent.

Metropolitan areas
Crime rates fell in most metropolitan areas last year, including the nine largest. The biggest declines occurred in Kitchener, Montréal and Winnipeg.

The highest overall crime rates occurred in the western metropolitan centres of Regina, Saskatoon, Abbotsford, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Victoria and Vancouver. Toronto reported the second lowest overall crime rate among all 27 metropolitan areas.

Violent crime rates also tended to be highest in Western Canada. The metropolitan areas of Saint John, Thunder Bay and Halifax were exceptions to the general pattern, with each reporting violent crime rates similar to or higher than those in the West.

One in five homicides in Canada occurred in Toronto in 2007. However, taking population differences into account, homicide rates were highest in Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary.

For the first time since recording began in 1981, Québec reported no homicides, the only metropolitan area to do so in 2007.

Impaired driving and drug offences
Impaired driving and drug offences were among the few police-reported crimes to increase in 2007. More so than other crimes, these offences tend to be influenced by local police enforcement practices.

The impaired driving rate rose 3 percent in 2007, mainly due to a 19 percent increase in Alberta. Despite this recent increase, impaired driving rates have generally been declining over the past 25 years in Canada.

The rate of drug offences rose 4 percent last year, driven by an increase in cannabis possession offences, which accounted for about half of all drug offences.

Employment was unchanged in June for the second consecutive month according to figures from Statistics Canada. The unemployment rate edged up 0.1 percentage points to 6.2 percent, still among the lowest in 30 years. Over the past 12 months, employment in Canada has grown by 1.7 percent or 290,000.

Employment continued to grow in professional, scientific and technical services in June (+37,000). From a year ago, employment in the industry has grown by 7.5 percent, an increase of 86,000 workers. The biggest contributors to this year-over-year increase have been computer design services and legal services.

Business, building and other support services had the largest decline in employment in June, down 18,000, bringing employment in this industry to a level similar to that of a year ago.

Construction employment decreased by 16,000 in June, the first significant monthly decline in the industry in two years. Over the last 12 months, however, employment growth in the industry has been strong, up 7.2%.

Employment in health care and social assistance also decreased in June (-17,000). Despite this decline, employment in the industry has grown 2.8 percent from 12 months ago.

Alberta
Alberta saw employment increases of 10,000 in June. These gains pushed the employment rate in the province up to 72.2 percent, a new record high. Employment growth over the past 12 months has been the fastest of the provinces at 3.1 percent, largely driven by gains in professional, scientific and technical services; trade; agriculture; and finance, insurance, real estate and leasing.

Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia also experienced a new record-high employment rate of 59.3 percent, pushed by monthly gains of 6,200. Over the past 12 months, employment in the province has grown by 2.2 percent.

Manitoba
Manitoba was the only other province to report monthly gains in June, with an increase of 4,000. Since June 2007, employment growth in the province has been 1.9 percent.

Ontario
In June, employment declined by 24,000 in Ontario, pushing the unemployment rate up 0.3 percentage points to 6.7 percent. The overall decline in employment was the result of a drop in full-time work (-46,000), which was tempered by gains in part time (+22,000). Since June 2007, part-time work in the province has been on the rise, growing by 10.3 percent. Overall, annual employment growth in Ontario has kept pace with the national average.

Newfoundland and Labrador
Employment declined in Newfoundland and Labrador in June. Over the last 12 months, however, employment grew by 1.8 percent, with strong gains in construction; public administration; as well as transportation and warehousing.

Quebec
In June, the unemployment rate in Quebec decreased by 0.3 percentage points to 7.2 percent, due to a decline in labour force participation. Over the past 12 months, employment in the province has grown by 0.5 percent, well below the national average. Declines in trade and education offset growth in professional, scientific and technical services and construction as well as some other service industries.

A new survey of immigrants living in Canada’s three largest cities shows that they possess a powerful sense of belonging to their adopted country — an attachment that generally runs deeper than linguistic, ethnic or regional identity, reported the Vancouver Sun.

The poll was commissioned by the Association for Canadian Studies and generated responses from immigrants in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Respondents were asked whether they had a strong or weak sense of belonging to Canada, their province, city, country of origin, ethnic identity and language.

Canada ranked highest, with 87 per cent of those surveyed expressing a “very strong” or “somewhat strong” attachment to the country. Eighty-one per cent of respondents conveyed a strong sense of belonging to their city, the same percentage of immigrants who said their language provided a strong attachment.

Province (78 per cent), country of origin (66 per cent) and ethnic or cultural group (65 per cent) were also strong sources of respondents’ sense of belonging.

In Toronto, “Canada” topped the list of attachments with 91 per cent of those surveyed expressing a strong sense of belonging to the country.

Eighty per cent of immigrant Montrealers said they felt strong attachments to Canada; both “city” and “language” ranked slightly higher at 81 per cent.

In Vancouver, which has a relatively high proportion of Chinese immigrants, language topped the list with 85 per cent expressing a strong linguistic identity. But a strong sense of belonging to Canada was also conveyed by 84 per cent of Vancouver’s immigrants.

Each month, The Canadian Real Estate Association compiles the statistics of existing homes and properties sold. The average price of a house sold in May in Canada was $318,761 an increase of 1.8 percent over the year. The residential average price is forecast to rise 5.3 percent in 2008 and a further 4.2 percent next year, pushing prices to new heights. Price gains are predicted to become smaller as the resale housing market becomes more balanced. The market is forecast to remain tightest in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and as a result price increases there are expected to be biggest.

House Prices In Canada
May 2008

assumed exchange rate $1.00 = £0.492

Canada is putting skilled workers on a fast track for immigration visas to encourage more applications. Alberta’s employment minister Hector Goudreau has been sent to the UK to ‘target’ those tempted by a new life in Canada.

Canadian immigration are hoping to recruit GPs, teachers, nurses, electricians, carpenters, engineers, construction workers, management consultants, and cardiac and diabetic specialists, although anyone of any age can apply.

Mr Goudreau, who has been in Britain for a week, said, “Somebody from London might be able to sell their small flat and come to Alberta where they can buy a detached house with a huge back yard and huge front yard for the same amount. The cost of living is considerably less than in the UK. Our salaries are comparable or even higher, so anyone who moves over would be able to make money and set some aside.”

Mr Goudreau added that the economy in Alberta - which is founded on oil reserves - was constantly growing, and has remained steady despite the global credit crunch.

He continued. “We are looking at attracting 50,000 foreign workers within the next year alone. There is beautiful scenery, the health care system is second to none in the world and our educational system is second to none in the world. We have some of the lowest business taxes, there is no province sales tax on goods.”

Alberta covers a large chunk of prairie and Rocky Mountains and its major cities are Edmonton and Calgary. Its population is 3.4 million and it covers an area over two and a half times the size of the UK.

The capital city of Alberta is Edmonton, located just south of the centre of the province. Edmonton is the main supply and service centre for Canada’s oil sands and other northern resource industries. Calgary, the capital, is Alberta’s largest city and is one of Canada’s major commerce centres. These two cities both have populations over 1 million people.

The average Canadian weekly earnings of employees stood at $789.99 in April, up 0.3 percent from March. Compared with a year earlier, average weekly earnings were up 3.2 percent.

In Canada’s largest industrial sectors, earnings rose 4.0 percent in health and social assistance, 3.0 percent in manufacturing, 2.7 percent in retail trade, and 1.9 percent in educational services compared with a year earlier.

Alberta and Saskatchewan had the strongest year-over-year earnings growth of all provinces at 6.0 percent and 5.4 percent respectively.

The average hourly earnings for hourly paid employees edged up from $19.82 in March to $19.85 in April.

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Province
April 2008

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Industry
April 2008

exchange rate used $1.00 CAN = £0.492

Following two months of small increases, Canadian employment was unchanged in May, and the unemployment rate remained at 6.1%. Over the past 12 months, figures from Statistics Canada show that employment in Canada has risen by 2.0 percent. Despite slower employment growth in recent months, the participation rate remained at its record high of 68.0 percent in May.

Manufacturing employment rose in May, mainly in Ontario and Quebec. Employment across Canada in this industry has trended downward since November 2002. Health care and social assistance, as well as “other services” added employment in May, while agriculture and professional, scientific and technical services recorded losses.

Quebec
In Quebec, after two consecutive months of declines, employment rose by 18,000 in May. With an increase in the number of Quebecers in the labour market, the unemployment rate was little changed at 7.5 percent. Employment growth over the last 12 months in the province stands at 1.2 percent, below the national rate of growth.

Employment in Quebec’s manufacturing industry increased in May (+14,000). While manufacturing employment has declined by 124,000 since November 2002, over the past 12 months, this sector has been stable with growth in transportation equipment offsetting losses in textile and clothing manufacturing.

With a slight increase in May, Ontario’s employment growth over the past 12 months was 2.2 percent. Losses in educational services in May were offset by gains in manufacturing.

Newfoundland & Labrador
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the employment rate rose to an all-time high of 52.8 percent in May. Over the past 12 months, employment growth was 2.9 percent, one of the fastest rates of growth in the country.

Manitoba
Following strong gains the month before, employment in Manitoba declined in May, pushing the unemployment rate up to 4.2 percent, still among the lowest in Canada. Employment in this province has increased by 1.5 percent in the past 12 months.

New Brunswick
In May, employment in New Brunswick declined (-4,400), bringing the unemployment rate up to 8.9 percent. In 2007, employment followed an upward trend; so far this year, however, growth has slowed.

Alberta
Although unchanged in May, employment in Alberta has increased 3.3 percent over the past 12 months, the strongest growth rate in Canada. As a result of increased participation in the labour market, the unemployment rate rose in May to 3.6 percent, still the lowest in Canada.

Strong employment growth for adult women
In May, employment among adult women rose by 35,000, mostly in part time. An increase of 52,000 women in the labour market boosted their participation rate to an all-time high of 62.4 percent in May.

Manpower Inc. has released the results of its third annual talent shortage survey, revealing that 31 percent of employers across the globe are finding it more difficult to fill jobs. “This year, the most significant finding is that the percentage of employers in the Americas having trouble filling positions has dropped more than half compared to last year,” said Jeffrey A. Joerres, CEO of Manpower Inc. “This dramatic decrease is a reflection of the recent downturn in the U.S. economy. However, the talent crunch is still a very real concern.”

The top ten workers most in-demand by country are:

United States

1. Engineers
2. Machinists/Machine Operators
3. Skilled Manual Trades (primarily welders or carpenters/joiners)
4. Technicians
5. Sales Representatives
6. Accounting & Finance Staff
7. Mechanics
8. Labourers
9. IT Staff
10. Production Operators

The percentage of employers surveyed in the USA indicating that they are having difficulty filling positions was down from 41% in 2007 to 22% this year.

Canada

1. Skilled Manual Trades (primarily carpenters/jointers, welders or electricians)
2. Sales Representatives
3. Engineers
4. Accounting & Finance Staff
5. Labourers
6. Nurses
7. Teachers
8. Drivers
9. Machinists/Machine Operators
10. Secretaries, PAs, Administrative Assistants & Office Support Staff

The percentage of employers surveyed in Canada indicating that they are having difficulty filling positions was down from 36% in 2007 to 31% this year.

Australia

1. Skilled Manual Trades (primarily electricians, carpenters/joiners, or welders)
2. Engineers
3. Sales Representatives
4. Accounting & Finance Staff
5. Drivers
6. Technicians
7. Labourers
8. Secretaries, PAs, Administrative Assistants & Office Support Staff
9. Mechanics
10. Management/Executives

The percentage of employers surveyed in Australia indicating that they are having difficulty filling positions was down from 61% in 2007 to 52% this year

New Zealand

1. Sales Representatives
2. Skilled Manual Trades (primarily carpenters/joiners or electricians)
3. Engineers
4. Accounting & Finance Staff
5. IT Staff
6. Labourers
7. Technicians
8. Secretaries, PAs, Administrative Assistants & Office Support Staff
9. Management/Executives
10. Production Operators

The percentage of employers surveyed in New Zealand indicating that they are having difficulty filling positions was down from 62% in 2007 to 47% this year

Spain

1. Technicians
2. Skilled Manual Trades (primarily electricians, masons, welders or bricklayers)
3. Management/Executives
4. Accounting & Finance Staff
5. Production Operators
6. Labourers
7. Drivers
8. Secretaries, PAs, Administrative Assistants & Office Support Staff
9. Mechanics
10. Engineers

The percentage of employers surveyed in Spain indicating that they are having difficulty filling positions was down from 33% in 2007 to 27% this year

In 2006, Canada’s homeownership rate reached its highest level since 1971, according to date from the 2006 Census. Of the 12.4 million households in Canada, more than 8.5 million, over two-thirds owned their home, the highest rate since 1971. At the same time, the proportion of Canadian households that rented their home slipped from 34 percent in 2001 to 31 percent in 2006. About 3.9 million households rented their home in 2006.

The increase during the five-year period continues the long-term trend in rising homeownership that picked up in 1991 after a period of low growth during the 1980s.

Households in the Atlantic provinces continued to have the highest homeownership rates in the country in 2006. Those in Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest rate, 79 percent. Households in Quebec had the lowest provincial rate at 60 percent.

The median selling price Canadian homeowners would expect to receive for their dwellings rose from $134,240 in 2001 to $200,474 in 2006, a 49 percent increase. Over the same period, consumer prices as measured by the Consumer Price Index increased by 11.3 percent.

More homeowners with a mortgage
Nearly 6 out of every 10 households that owned their home had a mortgage in 2006. Provincially, Alberta had the highest proportion of households with a mortgage (62%) and Newfoundland and Labrador had the lowest proportion (45%).

Condominiums driving homeownership
The census counted 913,000 households that owned a condominium in 2006, up 37 percent from five years earlier. The increase in condominium owners during this period accounted for one-quarter of the increase in the number of Canadian households that owned their dwelling.

Rates of condominium ownership were highest in the four British Columbia metropolitan areas. Condo owners accounted for 31 percent of owner households in Vancouver in 2006, 24 percent in Abbotsford, 21 percent in Victoria and 21 percent in Kelowna.

Shelter costs increasing faster than the CPI
For renter households, median annual shelter costs rose by 12.8 percent between 2001 and 2006. Over the same period, consumer prices increased by 11.3 percent. For owner households, spending on shelter increased by 21.6 percent, almost twice the increase in consumer prices.

In 2006, the median annual shelter cost for renter households was $8,057. For owner households with a mortgage, it was $15,150.

Percentage spending 30% or more on shelter edges up
In 2006, an estimated 3.0 million households, or 24.9 percent of the total, spent 30 percent or more of their income on shelter. This was up marginally from 24.1 percent in 2001, but was lower than the high of 26.6 percent in 1996 at the end of the economic downturn experienced in the early 1990s.

Renter households had a higher share of households spending 30% or more on shelter — 40.3 percent in 2006, compared with 39.6 percent in 2001.

Homeowners had a lower share at 17.8 percent of these households in 2006, up from 16.0 percent five years earlier.

The average weekly earnings of employees stood at $788.71 in March, up 0.3 percent from February. Compared with a year earlier, average weekly earnings were up 3.2 percent.

In Canada’s largest industrial sectors, earnings rose 4.3 percent in health and social assistance, 2.7 percent in retail trade, 2.6 percent in educational services, and 2.3 percent in manufacturing compared with a year earlier.

Alberta and Saskatchewan posted the strongest year-over-year earnings growth among the provinces.

The average hourly earnings for hourly paid employees increased 0.8 percent to $19.83 in March, while the average weekly hours for hourly paid employees decreased 1.0 percent to 30.8 hours.

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Province
March 2008

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Industry
March 2008

exchange rate used $1.00 CAN = £0.502

Saskatchewan and Newfoundland & Labrador have stepped into a new era of prosperity, according to a study released in the Canadian Economic Observer. The ongoing commodity boom, starting in 2002, offered a unique opportunity for these two provinces to tap into their natural resources as never before. Driven by export growth, notably that of crude oil, Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy led the nation in terms of growth in nominal gross domestic product (GDP) in 2007, at 13.4 percent. Saskatchewan followed with growth of 11.4 percent, ahead of Alberta’s 8.3 percent.

Newfoundland & Labrador’s growth in nominal GDP of 76 percent between 2002 and 2007 also topped Alberta’s gain of 73 percent. Saskatchewan posted the third highest gain over the period, its GDP advancing 49 percent.

In terms of GDP per capita, Newfoundland & Labrador has registered the largest turnaround in one decade in Canadian history. In 1997, it was $10,000 below the Canada average, and as recently as 2005 it remained below average. But in 2007, it jumped to $57,348, over $10,000 above the Canada average of $46,441.

Alberta ($74,825), Newfoundland & Labrador and Saskatchewan ($51,327) were the only three provinces where GDP per capita was above average in 2007.

Oil
Higher crude oil prices have been driving the boom in Newfoundland & Labrador and Saskatchewan. They are the top producers of crude petroleum in Canada after Alberta, accounting for almost one-third of Canada’s production.

Exports
Newfoundland & Labrador’s international exports soared 20 percent in 2007, the most rapid growth of any province. Between 2002 and 2007, exports doubled to reach $12 billion, as prices rose for Newfoundland & Labrador’s energy products and metals.

In 2007, Saskatchewan exported $21 billion to other countries, a 13 percent increase over 2006. This placed Saskatchewan behind only Newfoundland & Labrador for the title of fastest growing provincial exports. In addition to crude oil, agricultural products, potash, and uranium have made major gains since 2005.

Population
Perhaps most significantly, both Newfoundland & Labrador and Saskatchewan have reversed their long-term trend of a declining population. In the last two quarters of 2007, the number of people moving into Newfoundland & Labrador was the highest that it had been in 30 years. At the same time, out-migration slowed, resulting in the population increasing for the first time in 15 years.

Saskatchewan’s population grew 0.8 percent in 2007, its first increase in over a decade, which put the population once again to 1 million. Moreover, the population of the 15 and over age group in Saskatchewan in April 2008 was 2.0 percent larger than it was in April 2007. This was just slightly slower than the 2.2 percent year-over-year increase in Alberta.

Incomes
As incomes have risen and population growth has resumed, Newfoundland & Labrador and Saskatchewan consumers have gone on a buying binge, leading provincial growth in retail, housing and auto sales.

Employment among immigrants aged 25 to 54, that is, core working age, increased 2.1 percent in 2007, thanks in large part to gains among immigrants in Quebec. Despite this increase, the employment rate gap between immigrants and the Canadian born widened.

Employment among core working age immigrants rose by 52,000, or 2.1 percent, from 2006. This was stronger than the 1.3 percent growth among the Canadian born in the same age group.

Despite these gains in 2007, the employment rate gap between immigrants and the Canadian born widened, as the population of immigrants increased much faster than their employment. While the immigrant employment rate edged up 0.2 percentage points to 77.9 percent, the employment rate for the Canadian born rose by 0.7 percentage points to 83.8 percent.

A new report analysing the labour market for immigrants in 2007 showed that employment for immigrants aged 25 to 54 reached nearly 2.5 million. Full-time employment, which accounted for 90 percent of those jobs, increased 3.0 percent.

In 2007, over one-half of growth in employment among core working-age immigrants occurred in Quebec (+28,000).

While the unemployment rate for immigrant women remained higher and the employment rate remained lower than that of immigrant men, employment for immigrant women aged 25 to 54 increased markedly in 2007 (+47,000). This accounted for the vast majority of the estimated 52,000 gain for core working-age immigrants.

As the population of working-age Canadians increases, there is an expectation that employment should rise by similar levels. The realities, however, were different for the Canadian born and for immigrants. In 2007, the employment rate rose faster for the Canadian born, as their employment growth greatly outpaced their population growth, while immigrant employment increases did not match their population gains. The end result was that the employment rate gap between immigrants and the Canadian born widened from 5.4 percentage points in 2006 to 5.9 percentage points in 2007.

Immigrants aged 25 to 54 still had a much higher unemployment rate in 2007 than the Canadian born in this age group. They also had a much lower employment rate.

The unemployment rate among core working-age immigrants edged up from 6.5 percent to 6.6 percent, which was higher than the rate of 4.6 percent among the Canadian born.

Almost all of the employment growth for immigrants in 2007 occurred among established immigrants, namely those who had been in Canada for more than 10 years. Gains for very recent immigrants, those in the country for five years or less, were relatively small. Despite a dip in the unemployment rate of these very recent immigrants, the rate remained more than double that of the Canadian born.

Quebec
Although employment increased substantially for immigrants living in Quebec, unemployment among them was still high in the province.

Over half (+28,000) of the growth in employment for Canadian immigrants in 2007 took place in Quebec. Their unemployment rate also fell from 12.0 percent to 10.2 percent. In contrast, the unemployment rate for the Canadian born in Quebec was 5.6 percent.

In Quebec, gains among immigrants accounted for three-quarters of the province’s total annual employment growth. Quebec was the only province where the majority of employment growth came from their core working-age immigrant population in 2007.

More than three-quarters of employment growth for immigrants in Quebec in 2007 occurred among established immigrants, who saw their employment increase by an estimated 22,000, all in full-time work. As a result, the employment rate for established immigrants rose from 76.8 percent to 78.7 percent. Virtually all of this growth was for established immigrant men and women born in Asia.

Alberta
Immigrants in Alberta benefited from the strong labour market in the oil-rich province. Their employment growth in 2007 was the second highest among the provinces at 8.4 percent (+18,000), with almost all the gains in full-time jobs.

Ontario
In Ontario, however, the entire core working-age population experienced its slowest overall employment growth so far this decade. In 2007, Ontario immigrants experienced only modest gains in employment (+0.3%).

Strong gains in transportation and accommodation and food services industries
As was the case for the Canadian born, most employment growth for immigrants aged 25 to 54 was in the service sector, although the growth occurred in different industries.

Immigrants made notable gains in transportation (+19,000) and accommodation and food services (+15,000). For the Canadian born, the largest gains were in public administration, professional, scientific and technical services, as well as finance, insurance, real estate and leasing.

In the goods sector, Canadian-born workers saw construction employment expand and manufacturing employment shrink. Immigrants recorded a modest decline in construction and a small gain in manufacturing.

University-educated immigrants of core working age had the largest gains in immigrant employment, with an estimated gain of 62,000 (+7.0%), all in full-time work.

In contrast, the vast majority of employment growth for the Canadian born was among those with a post-secondary certificate or diploma.

Older migrants show gains in employment
Among the various age groups, older immigrants aged 55 and over posted very strong gains. Their employment increased 9.3 percent, overshadowing the pace of 6.5 percent for Canadian-born older workers. Among young immigrants aged 15 to 24, employment rose 2.0 percent, virtually the same rate as for Canadian-born youth.

Employment growth strong for immigrants born in Asia and the Middle East
Employment grew by an estimated 53,000 (+4.9%) for Asian-born immigrants aged 25 to 54, overwhelmingly in full-time positions. Among this Asian-born population, unemployment and employment rates of those born in the Philippines were particularly robust. Overall employment for Filipinos grew by 8.3 percent, virtually all in full time. Their overall employment rate increased to 88.9 percent, higher than the rates for both the Canadian born and immigrants of other source countries.

Overall, European-born immigrants are, second to Asians, the largest group of immigrants to Canada. Employment growth for core working-age European-born immigrants was relatively flat between 2006 and 2007 (+0.5%).

Canadian employment edged up slightly in April (+19,000), similar to the increase observed in March. This follows large gains at the start of the year. Statistics Canada reported that the unemployment rate nudged up to 6.1 percent in April. Self-employment and full-time work accounted for all of the employment gains in April.

Over the past 12 months, employment increased by an estimated 348,000 (+2.1%), with full time growing twice as fast as part time. The employment rate, the share of the working-age population who are employed, continued to hover around a record high in April.

Accommodation & Food
With gains in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, accommodation and food services continued to add employment in April (+22,000). These recent increases offset losses observed towards the latter part of last year.

Construction
Construction employment continued on its upward trend in April (+16,000). This brings employment gains over the last 12 months to 113,000 (+10.1%), the largest of any industry.

Manufacturing
Manufacturing employment edged down in April, continuing the downward slide that began towards the end of 2002. Over the last 12 months alone, employment fell by 112,000, with nearly half the losses in Ontario (-50,000) and the remainder mainly in British Columbia (-29,000), Quebec (-13,000) and Alberta (-11,000).

Manitoba
In April, employment increased by an estimated 9,000 in Manitoba, boosting employment growth over the past 12 months to 3.1 percent. The added employment in April pushed the unemployment rate down 0.5 percentage points to 3.8 percent, the second lowest in the country after Alberta. Manitoba’s employment and participation rates both attained all-time highs in April.

Ontario
Employment in Ontario edged up 12,000 in April, mainly among younger workers, bringing growth since April 2007 to 2.2 percent, just above the national average. Increases over this period occurred in construction as well as several service industries. However, the downward trend in manufacturing employment continued, with a decline of 15,000 in April.

Newfoundland & Labrador
Newfoundland & Labrador experienced an employment gain in April (+2,400), continuing the upward trend which started last summer, bringing its employment rate to a record high of 52.6 percent. Over the last 12 months, employment has increased by 2.3 percent, with growth stemming from construction, professional, scientific and technical services as well as public administration.

Alberta and British Columbia
In Alberta and British Columbia, the continued strength of the labour market resulted in record high employment rates in April for both provinces. Employment growth in British Columbia and Alberta over the last 12 months has been above the national average, at 3.4 percent and 3.0 percent respectively. In April, there was little change in employment in both provinces.

Quebec
Employment in Quebec fell by an estimated 20,000 in April, mostly among youths, pushing the unemployment rate in the province up 0.3 percentage points to 7.6 percent. This is the first significant employment decline in two years. There were fewer people working this April in a number of service industries and in agriculture. The decrease leaves employment in the province up only 0.7 percent (+27,000) above the level of 12 months ago.

More adult women working
Women aged 25 and over were the only demographic group to experience employment growth in April (+17,000), once again keeping their unemployment rate below that of adult men (4.7% versus 5.2%). Despite this month’s increase, the rate of employment growth for adult women since April 2007 (+1.6%), was below that of adult men (+2.4%).

Canadian home sales activity will remain strong in 2008 despite trending lower from record-level activity last year, according to a new residential forecast prepared by The Canadian Real Estate Association. Canadian home sales are forecast to ease 11.5 per cent to 460,900 units in 2008, and to ease a further 4 per cent the following year. Prices are forecast to set new records in every province this year and next, but price gains will be smaller than in recent years.

Canadian home sales are forecast to ease gradually in all provinces in 2008, but record-level activity in Saskatchewan and Newfoundland & Labrador during the first quarter will result in new annual records in these provinces. New listings are forecast to rise in all provinces. The gradual decline in sales activity combined with an increase in new listings will result in a more balanced resale housing market. The market is forecast to remain tightest in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and as a result price increases there will be biggest.

The average price is forecast to rise 5.3 per cent in 2008 and a further 4.2 per cent next year, pushing prices to new heights. Price gains will become smaller as the resale housing market becomes more balanced.

Canadian Census data has showed an 11.1 percent increase in the median Canadian family income between 1980 and 2005. As a result of strong economic growth fostered by gains in employment, a further 2.1 percent increase was observed between 2005 and 2006, according to data from the Statistics Canada.

Families had an estimated median income after taxes of $58,300 in 2006, up 2.1 percent from 2005 in real terms. It was the third consecutive annual increase. In 2006, the increase was mainly the result of gains in both market income and government transfers.

The gain in after-tax income was shared by most family types, including senior families, those in which the main income earner was aged 65 and over, and younger, working-aged families. Senior families had a median after-tax income of $42,400, up 2.9 percent. Working-aged families had a median of $62,000, a 1.8 percent gain.

Both senior and working-aged family median after-tax income increased by roughly 18 percent in real terms since 1996.

Persons living alone or “unattached individuals” had a median after-tax income of $22,800 in 2006, up 4.6 percent from 2005.

Median incomes for Alberta families far ahead of other provinces

For the third consecutive year, families living in Alberta had the highest median after-tax income ($70,500), followed by those in Ontario ($62,400) and British Columbia ($60,300).

Alberta and Saskatchewan were the only two provinces for which the yearly change in after-tax family income was statistically significant. The median rose 7.0 percent in Alberta and 6.3 percent in Saskatchewan.

Median government transfers for families increased in three provinces: New Brunswick, Ontario and Alberta.

In Alberta, median government transfers doubled to $3,000 in 2006 from $1,500 in 2005. This large increase was generated by a one-time Energy Rebate program.

In February, the average weekly Canadian earnings of all payroll employees (full and part-time) increased to $786.80. Compared with a year earlier, average weekly earnings were up 3.1 percent.

Among Canada’s largest industrial sectors, earnings rose 5.8% in health and social assistance, 2.6 percent in manufacturing, 2.5 percent in educational services, and 0.9 percent in retail trade compared with a year earlier.

Alberta (4.9 percent) and Manitoba (4.5 percent) posted the strongest year-over-year earnings growth among the provinces.

The average hourly earnings ($19.59) and the average weekly hours for hourly paid employees (31.1 hours) were unchanged from January.

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Province
February 2008

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Industry
February 2008

exchange rate used $1.00 = £0.51

Canadian resale housing activity declined in the first quarter of 2008 compared to the previous quarter while new listings reached their highest quarterly level ever, according to statistics released by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). The result was the most balanced resale housing market of any quarter in the past nine years.

Seasonally adjusted Canadian sales activity declined 6.8 per cent to 117,051 units in the first quarter of 2008 compared to the fourth highest level on record, reached the previous quarter. It was the third consecutive quarterly decline since activity peaked in the second quarter last year.

Much of the decline in activity resulted from fewer transactions in Toronto during February and March. Sales activity in Toronto accounts for almost one fifth of all existing home sales in Canada. Fewer sales in British Columbia were also responsible for a significant share of the national decline in the first quarter.

Regional variations in the trend for sales activity persist. Seasonally adjusted sales activity set a new quarterly record in Saskatchewan, and quarterly transactions reached their second highest level ever in Newfoundland & Labrador.

The Canadian residential average price climbed 6.4 per cent year-over-year to $312,583 in the first quarter 2008. This is the smallest year-over-year price increase since the fourth quarter of 2001, reflecting a more balanced market.

Price gains did not become more modest in all provinces. In Manitoba and Newfoundland & Labrador, Canadian average house prices posted the biggest year-over-year increase ever in the first quarter of 2008.

In March, the Canadian average price was $314,279. That‘s a 4.8 per cent increase year-over-year – the smallest increase since October 2001.

“Resale housing activity is trending lower in the four most active provinces,” said CREA Chief Economist Gregory Klump. “Housing markets are becoming more balanced and price gains are becoming more modest as a result. This trend is forecast to continue, as rising mortgage carrying costs and property taxes erode affordability,” he added.

“The credit crunch has had limited impact on Canadian mortgage lending to date. Resale housing activity will continue to be supported by rising after-tax incomes, high employment, and declining interest rates,” said Klump.

Average House Price In Canada
March 2008

echange rate $1.00 = £0.51 GBP

Statistics Canada has released detailed analyses of data from the 2006 Census on ethnic origin, visible minorities, place of work and mode of transportation. Each wave of immigration to Canada has increased the ethnocultural diversity of Canada’s population. In fact, more than 200 different ethnic origins were reported in the 2006 Census. In contrast, just about 25 different ethnic groups were recorded in Canada in the 1901 Census.

(Ethnic origin refers to the ethnic or cultural origins of the respondent’s ancestors. An ancestor is someone from whom a person is descended and is usually more distant than a grandparent.)

The list of ethnic ancestries in 2006 includes cultural groups associated with Canada’s Aboriginal people (North American Indian, Métis and Inuit), the European groups that first settled in Canada, such as the English, French, Scottish and Irish. It also includes origins reflecting immigrants who came to Canada over the past century, such as German, Italian, Chinese, Ukrainian, Dutch, Polish, East Indian and so on.

Among newer groups reported in 2006 were Montserratan from the Caribbean and Chadian, Gabonese, Gambian and Zambian from Africa.

By 2006, 11 ethnic origins had passed the 1-million population mark. The largest group enumerated by the census consisted of just over 10 million people who reported Canadian as their ethnic ancestry, either alone (5.7 million) or with other origins (4.3 million).

The other most frequently reported origins were English, French, Scottish, Irish, German, Italian, Chinese, North American Indian, Ukrainian and Dutch. These ancestries were either reported alone or in combination with other origins, reflecting the increasing diversity of the population.

Visible minority population surpasses 5-million mark
In 2006, an estimated 5,068,100 individuals who belonged to the visible minority population. They made up 16.2 percent of the total population in Canada.

(visible minorities are legally defined as “persons, other than Aboriginal persons, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.”)

The visible minority population has grown steadily over the last 25 years. In 1981, when data for the employment equity-designated groups were first derived, the estimated 1.1 million visible minorities represented 4.7 percent of Canada’s total population.

In 1991, 2.5 million people were members of the visible minority population, 9.4 percent of the population. The visible minority population further increased to 3.2 million in 1996, or 11.2 percent of the total population. By 2001, their numbers had reached an estimated 3,983,800 or 13.4 percent of the total population.

Between 2001 and 2006, the visible minority population increased at a much faster pace than the total population. Its rate of growth was 27.2 percent, five times faster than the 5.4 percent increase for the population as a whole.

The growth of the visible minority population was due largely to the increasing number of recent immigrants who were from non-European countries. In 1981, 69 percent of all recent immigrants to Canada were born in regions other than Europe, and by 1991, this proportion had grown to 78 percent. The 2006 Census showed that 84 percent of the immigrants who arrived between 2001 and 2006 were born in regions other than Europe.

Consequently, the proportion of newcomers who belonged to a visible minority group also increased. In 1981, 56 percent of the newcomers who arrived in Canada in the late 1970s belonged to a visible minority group. In 1991, slightly over 7 in 10 recent immigrants were members of a visible minority group, and this proportion reached 73 percent in 2001.

Fully three-quarters of the immigrants who arrived between 2001 and 2006 belonged to a visible minority group.

If current immigration trends continue, Canada’s visible minority population will continue to grow much more quickly than the non-visible minority population. According to population projections, members of visible minority groups could account for one-fifth of the total Canadian population by 2017.

South Asians surpass Chinese as the largest visible minority group
The South Asians became Canada’s largest visible minority group in 2006, surpassing Chinese for the first time. The populations of both were well over 1 million.

The 2006 Census enumerated an estimated 1,262,900 individuals who identified themselves as South Asian, a growth rate of 38 percent from 2001. They represented one-quarter of all visible minorities, or 4 percent of the total population in Canada.

Tthe number of individuals who identified themselves as Chinese increased 18.2 percent from 2001 to 1,216,600 in 2006. Chinese accounted for 24 percent of the visible minority population and 3.9 percent of the total Canadian population.

The number of those identifying themselves as Black, the third largest visible minority group, rose 18 percent from 662,200 individuals in 2001 to an estimated 783,800. They accounted for 16 percent of the visible minority population and 2.5 percent of the total population in 2006.

Other visible minority groups included Filipinos, who represented 8.1 percent of the visible minority population, Latin Americans (6.0 percent), Arabs (5.2 percent), Southeast Asians (4.7 percent), West Asians (3.1 percent), Koreans (2.8 percent) and Japanese (1.6 percent).

A study published by Statistics Canada provides insights into the changing fortunes of immigrants in Canada by focusing on the volatility of their earnings. Earnings volatility, or earnings instability, refers to year-to-year deviations of individual annual earnings from the average earnings of this individual in a given time period.

The study found that instability in earnings for immigrants usually declines substantially after they have spent several years in Canada. This is consistent with the view that during the first several years in Canada, immigrants move more frequently from one job to another, or have part-time or temporary jobs. As they gain experience in Canada, immigrants are likely to find more stable employment.

The study is also the first to compare the earnings instability of immigrants who arrived in Canada in the 1980s with that of immigrants who arrived in Canada in 1990s. For example, based on the earnings in the four years after landing, the earnings instability of immigrants who came to Canada between 1998 and 2000 was substantially higher than the earnings instability of those who came to Canada between 1980 and 1982.

It was also higher than the earnings instability of those who came to Canada between 1983 and 1985.

Another finding concerns the impact of business cycles on earnings instability for immigrants. While instability generally decreased during the first several years in Canada, it rose rapidly during the recession years in the early 1990s and fell in subsequent years.

Although almost all cohorts in the sample were affected by the recession in the early 1990s, the timing of its impact relative to the entry varied from one cohort to another. This made the comparison of the earnings instability of immigrants who arrived in Canada before and after the recession more difficult.

In the past, immigrants who came to Canada in their 40s had higher earnings instability than young immigrants. However, the earnings instability of young immigrants who came to Canada in the late 1990s was almost as high as the earnings instability of immigrants in their 30s and 40s who came to Canada during the same period.

The study found that earnings inequality rose among recent immigrants over the last two decades, consistent with previous studies that documented the evolution of earnings inequality for all Canadian workers.

Although foreign education, the ability to speak one of the official languages and birthplace accounts for a large part of immigrants’ earnings inequality (up to 44% depending on the cohorts considered), much of it remains unexplained by these factors.

The birthplace of immigrants seems to have had a stronger impact on earnings inequality than other factors considered in the study, such as foreign education and ability to speak English or French.

Census data showed that workers were commuting farther to work in 2006 than in 2001, and a slightly decreasing proportion were driving their car to work. The median distance travelled by workers to their place of work in 2006 was 7.6 kilometres, up from 7.2 kilometres in 2001 and 7.0 kilometres in 1996. (The median is the point at which half are above, and half below.) Workers in Ontario had the highest median distance in 2006 at 8.7 kilometres.

Mode of transportation
Despite an increase in number of drivers, a lower proportion were driving to work. The census found that 14,714,300 people in the employed labour force commuted to their place of work, a 9.4 percent increase from 2001.

The vast majority, an estimated 10,644,300 workers, drove to work in a car, truck or van. That was a 7.2 percent increase from 2001, the equivalent of 714,900 more drivers on the road across Canada. However, this increase was well below the gain of just under 1 million between 1996 and 2001.

Despite this growth, the proportion of workers who drove to work declined from 73.8percent in 2001 to 72.3 percent in 2006.

Upward trend among workers travelling as passenger or using public transit
The 2006 Census found that 1,133,200 workers travelled to work as a passenger in a car, up 22.6 percent from 2001.

An estimated 1,622,700 people usually travelled to work on some form of public transportation, such as bus, streetcar, subway, light rail transit, commuter train or ferry, a 15.4 percent increase. Over the five-year period, the proportion that took some form of public transit increased from 10.5 percent to 11.0 percent.

The rest, an estimated 939,300, walked to work, up 6.6 percent, and 195,500 bicycled to work, a 20 percent increase.

Following two months of large gains, employment edged up slightly in March (+15,000). A surge of entrants into the labour market caused the unemployment rate to move up 0.2 percentage points to 6.0 percent. Canada’s participation rate reached a new record high of 68.0 percent in March. Over the past 12 months, Canadian employment grew by an estimated 1.9 percent.

Part-time employment was up in March (+34,000), the largest increase in part time since November 2006. Over the past 12 months, full-time employment has grown at almost twice the pace (+2.1 percent) of part-time work (+1.1 percent).

Alberta and British Columbia were the only provinces with notable employment gains in March. These provinces also set new records, as British Columbia’s employment rate reached a high of 64.0 percent, and Alberta’s participation rate hit 74.7 percent, the highest of any province.

In March, employment gains were posted in transportation and warehousing and natural resources, with losses in information, culture and recreation.

Employment in the transportation and warehousing industry rose by an estimated 20,000 in March, offset by losses in information, culture and recreation (-24,000). Over the past 12 months, employment in transportation and warehousing has risen 5.1 percent with gains mostly in Ontario and Quebec.

Employment edged up in natural resources in March, after a dip over the previous two months, leaving this industry unchanged from one year ago.

Over the March 2007 to March 2008 period, employment in the goods-producing sector was little changed, as gains in the construction industry were offset by manufacturing losses. At the same time, service sector employment grew by 2.4 percent, with public administration; professional scientific and technical services; health care and social assistance as well as transportation and warehousing adding the most workers.

Private sector leads quarterly employment growth
Over the first quarter of 2008, employment growth among private sector employees was stronger than that of the public sector. The growth among private sector employees was driven by gains in professional, scientific and technical services and construction. Self-employment fell in the first quarter of 2008.

Employment gains in the West
British Columbia led employment gains in March with an estimated increase of 15,000, pushing the employment rate to a new record high of 64.0 percent. Employment gains were widespread across several industries. With higher participation, the province’s unemployment rate edged up 0.2 percentage points to 4.3 percent in March. Over the last 12 months, employment in British Columbia was up 55,000 (+2.4 percent), with half of the gains in construction.

Alberta
In March, Alberta added 10,000 workers, pushing the province’s employment level above the two million mark for the first time. Alberta leads the country’s 12 month employment growth (+3.4 percent), with strength in both the goods and the service sector. The March unemployment rate of 3.4 percent remains the lowest in Canada.

Employment paused in Ontario following a strong February
Following a strong February, Ontario’s employment was unchanged in March as gains in part-time employment (+23,000) offset losses in full-time work (-25,000). The province’s unemployment rate edged up 0.3 percentage points to 6.4 percent in March, the result of a boost in the labour force. Over the past 12 months, employment has risen by 1.8 percent, driven by gains in educational services; public administration and business, building and other support services.

Quebec
Employment in Quebec was also little changed in March, while the unemployment rate increased by 0.3 percentage points to 7.3 percent. Over the last 12 months, employment has risen 1.5 percent in the province, with the largest gains in construction and professional, scientific and technical services industries.

Strongest growth among older workers
In March, employment among older workers (55 years and older) increased by 24,000, building on the strong gains of the past year. Older workers have shown the fastest employment increase of all age groups over the past 12 months, with an annual growth rate of 7.8 percent, well above the 0.9 percent for core-aged (25 to 54 years) workers.

In January, the average weekly Canadian earnings of all payroll employees ( full and part-time) increased $4.38 from December to $785.14. Compared with a year earlier, average weekly earnings as reported from Statistics Canada were up 3 percent.

In Canada’s largest industrial sectors, earnings were up 3.3 percent in manufacturing, 2.8 percent in health and social assistance, 2.5 percent in educational services, and 1.6 percent in retail trade compared with a year earlier.

Quebec and Manitoba have had the strongest year-over-year earnings growth of all provinces at 4.7 percent and 4.6 percent respectively.
.
The average hourly earnings for hourly paid employees edged up $0.08 to $19.68 in January. The average weekly hours for hourly paid employees were unchanged at 31.0.

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Province
January 2008

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Industry
January 2008

Canadian employment growth continued in February with gains estimated at 43,000, pushing Canada’s employment rate to a new record high (63.9 percent). For the second month in a row, the unemployment rate held steady at its 33-year low of 5.8 percent. Employment growth over the last 12 months stands at 361,000 (+2.2 percent).

Similar to January, employment growth in February was entirely attributable to an increase in full time workers. Over the past 12 months, full-time work has grown at three times the pace of part-time employment.

Employment growth in February was mainly in construction; public administration; and professional, scientific and technical services. These gains were partly offset by declines in manufacturing and natural resources.

In February, for the second consecutive month, strength in employment came from private sector employees. Overall employment growth over the past 12 months, however, has been the result of gains in the public sector.

Almost all of February’s employment growth was realised in Ontario. Large gains in construction; business, building, other support services and public administration were partly offset by the continued decline in manufacturing employment.

Wage growth remained strong in February, with a year-over-year increase in average hourly wages estimated at 4.9 percent. This was well above the most recent increase of 2.2 percent in consumer prices. February also marked the seventh consecutive month with a year-over-year increase in average hourly wages at, or above, 4 percent.

Ontario labour market strengthens in February
Ontario recorded strong employment growth in February, nearly all in full-time work. These latest gains pushed the overall unemployment rate in the province down 0.2 percentage points to 6.1 percent. Over the last 12 months, employment growth in Ontario stands at 2.0 percent, just slightly below the national average (+2.2 percent).

Although manufacturing in Ontario continued to lose workers in February, these declines were more than offset by strength in construction, business, building and other support services, as well as public administration.

Quebec
While employment in Quebec was little changed in February, over the last 12 months employment growth was above the national average. Despite weakness in manufacturing, employment in the province has grown steadily since February 2007 in other industries of the goods sector and in services. In February, the unemployment rate, at 7.0 percent, continued to hover around its 33-year low.

Labour market remains robust in Western Canada
In February, employment in Saskatchewan increased by 3,300, bringing total gains since last September, when the current upward trend began, to an estimated 12,000 (+2.5 percent). The unemployment rate in February, at 4.1 percent, was among the lowest in the country.

Alberta
Although little changed in February, employment in Alberta was up 3.0 percent from a year earlier, while the unemployment rate, at 3.5 percent, remained below that of all other provinces. Meanwhile, the province’s participation rate (the share of the working-age population that is working or looking for work) remained at a record high of 74.5 percent for the second consecutive month, the highest in Canada.

British Columbia
Employment in British Columbia was unchanged in February. Since February 2007, however, employment has increased by 2.3 percent (+52,000), driven by strength in construction. This growth has been somewhat tempered by a decline in manufacturing over this period, most notably in wood products. At 4.1 percent in February, the unemployment rate was unchanged from a month earlier and remains among the lowest in Canada.

New Brunswick’s labour market continues to grow
New Brunswick was the only province in Atlantic Canada to experience a notable employment gain in February. At the same time, the participation rate reached a record high of 65.0 percent. February’s increase in employment extends an upward trend that began in October 2006, with gains over this period totalling an estimated 17,000 (+4.8 percent). Nearly half of this increase has been in the past 12 months, all in the service sector, most notably in professional, scientific and technical services.

Nova Scotia
Employment in Nova Scotia fell by an estimated 3,800 in February and the unemployment rate edged up to 7.7 percent. This decline leaves overall employment in the province at about the same level as 12 months earlier. Figures from Statistics Canada

In November, the average weekly Canadian earnings of all payroll employees ( full and part-time) increased $7.65 from October to $784.83. Compared with a year earlier, average weekly earnings were up 4.0 percent.

In Canada’s largest industrial sectors in November, earnings were up 6.2 percent in health and social assistance, 4.5 percent in manufacturing, 3.0 percent in retail trade, and 2.8 percent in educational services compared with a year earlier.

Saskatchewan (+6.9 percent) and Alberta (+5.6 percent) posted the strongest year-over-year earnings growth among the provinces.

The number of occupied payroll jobs edged down 11,600 in November to 14,408,500. Among the provinces, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan had the largest month-to-month movements.

The industrial sector showing the strongest employment growth in November was utilities.

Overall, payroll employment has grown by 190,800, or 1.3 percent, since the beginning of 2007.

Employment in the construction sector continues to have the highest year-to-date growth (+7.1 percent), followed by mining, oil and gas extraction (+4.5 percent).

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Province
November 2007

Canadian Average Weekly Earnings By Industry
November 2007