Friday, February 09, 2007

Unemployment rates by province and city

Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada said Friday that the national unemployment rate was 6.2 per cent in January. Here's what happened provincially (previous month in brackets):

• Newfoundland 15.4 (13.8)

• Prince Edward Island 10.7 (12.4)

• Nova Scotia 7.8 (7.3)

• New Brunswick 8.1 (8.5)

• Quebec 7.7 (7.5)

• Ontario 6.4 (6.1)

• Manitoba 4.6 (4.1)

• Saskatchewan 4.1 (4.0)

• Alberta 3.3 (3.3)

• British Columbia 4.3 (5.2)

Statistics Canada also released seasonally adjusted, three-month moving average unemployment rates for major cities but cautions the figures may fluctuate widely because they are based on small statistical samples. (Previous month in brackets.):

• St. John's, N.L. 7.7 (7.5)

• Halifax 4.4 (4.6)

• Saint John, N.B. 5.9 (5.6)

• Saguenay, Que. 9.4 (8.9)

• Quebec 5.8 (6.0)

• Trois-Rivieres, Que. 5.3 (4.9))

• Sherbrooke, Que. 7.4 (7.5)

• Montreal 7.5 (7.6)

• Gatineau, Que. 6.3 (6.3)

• Ottawa 5.6 (5.5)

• Kingston, Ont. 5.1 (5.2)

• Toronto 6.6 (6.6)

• Hamilton 6.4 (6.1)

• Kitchener, Ont. 5.7 (5.4)

• London, Ont. 6.1 (6.2)

• Oshawa, Ont. 6.5 (6.7)

• St. Catharines-Niagara, Ont. 6.3 (6.3)

• Sudbury, Ont. 5.9 (6.2)

• Thunder Bay, Ont. 6.6 (6.7)

• Windsor, Ont. 9.7 (9.0)

• Winnipeg 5.1 (4.8)

• Regina 4.3 (4.4)

• Saskatoon 3.4 (3.3)

• Calgary 2.6 (2.6)

• Edmonton 3.8 (3.7)

• Abbotsford, B.C. 4.2 (4.4)

• Vancouver 4.8 (4.7)

• Victoria 3.2 (3.6)



For More Raw Data Check out the link below -

http://www.statcan.ca/english/Subjects/Labour/LFS/lfs-en.htm



Red-hot job market raises eyebrows

TAVIA GRANT

Globe and Mail Update

Canadian companies continue to hire workers at a surprisingly rapid pace, driven by strong labour demand in the country's westernmost provinces, Statistics Canada said Friday.

The latest jobs report, however, further illustrates the stark contrast between employment growth and Canadian economic growth, which has been stuck in the doldrums in recent months.

The Canadian economy added 88,900 jobs in January and for the second month in a row the labour market far exceeded forecasts. Economists had expected just 13,000 new jobs last month, after the economy added a revised 52,500 positions in December alone. The number of employed Canadians now sits at a record high, Statscan said.

“Jobs are on fire while GDP growth is on ice,” said Douglas Porter, deputy chief economist at the Bank of Montreal. Still, “the really good news for the Bank of Canada is that the economy is essentially at full employment and yet wage growth is if anything moderating.”

He doesn't expect the central bank to cut interest rates and sees the next move as a hike, some time next year.

The currency markets seemed to share that view Friday as the Canadian dollar sailed past 85 cents (U.S.) on the strength of jobs numbers and the reduced odds that interest rates will be cut.

Canadian companies have been hiring over the past year amid buoyant Western economies, a robust housing market and strong consumer spending. More evidence of that came Friday, with The Home Depot Canada saying it plans to add more than 7,000 part-time, seasonal and full-time people for its busy spring period.

But, despite the number of jobs added, January's jobless rate rose a notch to 6.2 per cent as more people looked for work, today's report showed.

Looking at the provinces, employment rose by about 32,000 in British Columbia and by 24,000 in Alberta, sending their employment rates to record highs in January, Statscan said. Manitoba and Saskatchewan also posted record employment rates.

January's growth was equally split between full-time and part-time positions.

Most job gains over the past year have been full-time, though in recent months that's shifting to part-time work.

Among industries, gains came mostly from four industries: information, culture and recreation; professional, scientific and technical services; accommodation and food services as well as natural resources.

The manufacturing sector, which has shed hundreds of thousands of jobs in recent years, was unchanged in January as weakness in Ontario was offset by gains in Alberta and Manitoba.

In January, the share of the working-age population who were employed across Canada hit a record 63.4 per cent.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Housing starts strong in January

OTTAWA, Feb. 8 /CNW Telbec/ - The seasonally adjusted annual rate(1) ofhousing starts was 249,300 units in January, up from 212,600 units in
December, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
"Historically low mortgage rates, solid employment and income growth, and
a high level of consumer confidence continue to support residential
construction activity," said Bob Dugan, Chief Economist at CMHC's Market
Analysis Centre. "The volatile multiples segment bounced back in January,
accounting for most of the growth this month. Although housing starts are
expected to ease to 209,500 units in 2007, they will remain above the
200,000 mark for the sixth consecutive year."
January's seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts of
216,300 units was up 19.2 per cent from December. Urban multiples surged
31.4 per cent to 124,300 units in January, while singles jumped 5.9 per cent
to 92,000 units.
Urban starts in January rebounded in all regions, with urban multiple
starts growing at a double-digit pace. Urban singles starts were up overall,
but declined in Quebec and British Columbia. The Atlantic region experienced
the largest percentage increase in urban starts at 36.2 per cent
Rural starts in January were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual
rate of 33,000 units.
Compared to January 2006, actual starts in both rural and urban areas
increased an estimated 12.2 per cent in January 2007 while actual starts in
urban areas only were up an estimated 11.9 per cent. Actual single starts in
urban areas were 14.3 per cent lower in January 2007 than they were a year
earlier, with all regions showing a decline. Actual urban multiple starts in
January 2007 were up 37.7 per cent over January 2006.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has been Canada's national
housing agency for more than 60 years. CMHC is committed to helping Canadians
access a wide choice of quality, affordable homes, while making vibrant,
healthy communities and cities a reality across the country. For more
information, visit www.cmhc.ca or call 1-800-668-2642.

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(1) All starts figures in this release, other than actual starts, are
seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) - that is, monthly figures
adjusted to remove normal seasonal variation and multiplied by 12 to
reflect annual levels.

(Ce document existe également en français)


Housing Starts, Actual and SAAR(*)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Actual SAAR
----------------------------------------------
January January December January
2006 2007 2006 2007
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Preliminary Final Preliminary
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Canada, all areas 13,379 15,009 212,600 249,300
Canada, rural
areas 1,275 1,465 31,100 33,000
Canada, urban
centres(xx) 12,104 13,544 181,500 216,300
Canada, singles,
urban centres 6,002 5,143 86,900 92,000
Canada, multiples,
urban centres 6,102 8,401 94,600 124,300

Atlantic region,
urban centres 548 495 6,900 9,400
Quebec, urban
centres 2,237 2,391 40,200 42,200
Ontario, urban
centres 4,538 4,438 61,100 76,700
Prairie region,
urban centres 2,624 3,609 43,400 52,700
British Columbia,
urban centres 2,157 2,611 29,900 35,300
-------------------------------------------------------------------------



Source: CMHC
(*) Seasonally adjusted annual rates
(xx) Urban centres with a population of 10,000 persons and over.
Detailed data available upon request.