Canada’s unemployment rate edged down to 6.7 per cent in December, 0.1 percentage points lower than in November, as 91,000 positions were added, Statistics Canada said. The agency reported that the employment rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 60.8 per cent, the first increase since January 2023.
Most of the new jobs were full-time. Men aged 25 to 54, men aged 55 and older, and women aged 55 and older all saw gains, while employment for core-aged women and youth remained largely unchanged. December’s increases were spread across educational services, transportation and warehousing, finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing, and health care and social assistance.
Public sector employment rose by 40,000, while private sector employment was mostly stable. Self-employment grew by 24,000, marking its first increase since February. By the end of 2024, overall employment was up by 413,000 positions, or 2.0 per cent, compared with 12 months earlier. Statistics Canada said this matches the pace observed in December 2023 and pre-pandemic averages from 2017 to 2019.
Among the provinces, Alberta recorded the largest jump, with 35,000 new jobs. Ontario followed with 23,000, while British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan also posted increases. Manitoba was the only province to register a decline, shedding 7,200 jobs. Employment was essentially unchanged in Quebec, though its unemployment rate fell to 5.6 per cent due to fewer people seeking work.
Hourly wages rose 3.8 per cent on an annual basis, reaching $35.77, which was slightly slower than November’s 4.1 per cent climb. The agency said year-over-year wage growth was higher for women (4.2 per cent) than for men (3.4 per cent).
Statistics Canada also highlighted that 2.3 per cent of Canadians aged 15 to 69, or 675,000 people, did paid work through a digital platform in 2024. Food and goods delivery, personal transport and content creation were the most common activities. The agency noted that those with a high school diploma or lower, men, immigrants admitted in the past five years, and South Asian and Black Canadians were more likely to work through digital platforms.
