|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Canada’s unemployment rate rises to 6.4% as job market stalls
Youth jobless rate hasn’t been this high since 2014
Canada’s unemployment rate rose to 6.4 per cent in June from 6.2 per cent a month earlier, continuing an upward trend that began in April of 2023, Statistics Canada said on Friday.
Overall, the economy lost 1,400 jobs in June after adding 27,000 positions in May.
Industries that saw declines in employment include transportation, warehousing, culture and recreation, public administration, construction and professional and technical services.
Industries that saw increases in employment include accommodation, food services and agriculture.
Long-term unemployment also remained elevated in June, with 17.6 per cent of currently unemployed workers out of work for 27 weeks or more. That was down slightly from 18.2 per cent and May, but still well above the recent low of 13.3 per cent last August.
Among youth, the unemployment rate reached 13.5 per cent, the highest since September of 2014, with the exception of the pandemic years of 2020-2021. Returning students are also having trouble finding summer work, with unemployment among this group at 15.9 per cent.
Among provinces, Ontario’s unemployment increased to seven per cent in June. Alberta’s unemployment ticked down slightly to 7.1 per cent. Provinces and territories with the highest unemployment rates include Newfoundland and Labrador (9.2 per cent), Nunavut (8.1 per cent), Prince Edward Island (8 per cent) and New Brunswick (7.7 per cent).
