Highlights
- The labour force increased by 7,600 individuals this month, recording growth for a third consecutive month.
- According to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey, there were 452,500 jobs in the area in February, 7,000 more than the previous month.
- In February, the unemployment rate was 3.9% in the Québec City CMA, a slight increase compared to January (3.8%). This is the lowest unemployment rate recorded among major Canadian cities.
Note: Growth in the labour force was higher than in employment, which had a small upward impact on the unemployment rate. - In the province of Quebec, the number of jobs increased by 11,500 between January and February, while the unemployment rate remained stable at 5.4%.
Commentary
According to Statistics Canada, the number of jobs in the Québec City census metropolitan area (CMA) registered continuing growth for three consecutive months. In February, 7,000 additional jobs were recorded in the area, bringing the total to 452,500 employed people. There was a total of 470,700 individuals in the labour force, an increase of 7,600 people. This is the strongest monthly growth recorded in over 10 years in the area (August 2007). Growth in the labour force was higher than in employment, which had a small upward impact on the unemployment rate. Consequently, the unemployment rate reached 3.9% last month, while remaining the lowest among the major Canadian CMAs. At the same time, the number of job seekers slightly increased, with 600 more unemployed people in February. However, the participation and employment rates rose for a third consecutive month, reaching 68.6% and 66% respectively. Moreover, over the last few months, the increase in labour market participation allowed the region to reach the same rates as last year for the same period. Workers aged 55 and above played a major role in this situation. Labour market participation of workers aged 25 to 54 remained stable, while that of those aged 15 to 24 declined.
We also saw an upturn in full and part-time employment in February. As in January, the service sector stood out, particularly in the fields of professional, healthcare, and financial and insurance services. The manufacturing industry recorded moderate employment gains for the third month in a row, while the construction industry registered a decline for the fourth consecutive month.
