Employment in Ontario increased in December

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Published January 10, 2020 at 4:52 pm

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December was another good year for employment in Ontario, as the overall number of employed residents increased by 25,000 or roughly 0.3 per cent.

The most common jobs among those newly employed were construction and public administration.

Additionally, the unemployment rate for Ontario decreased by 0.3 per cent to 5.6 per cent.

Across the country, December saw an increase of 57,000 newly employed Canadians–an increase of 0.5 per cent.
From December 2018 to December 2019, the number of employed Canadians increased by 320,000 people–1.7 per cent, which was 0.6 per cent more than the 12 months prior.

The majority of this growth–283,000 people–found full-time employment.

Over the past 12 months, May saw the steepest drop in the unemployment rate, which declined to 5.4 per cent, a record low since comparable data became available in January 1976. By the end of 2019, the rate was 5.6 per cent, the same as in December 2018.

Compared to December 2018, Ontario saw an increase of 243,000 employed residents–an increase of 3.3 per cent over the last 12 months.

The majority of this increase was in full-time employment–227,000. These jobs were spread out across several industries, including: professional, scientific and technical services, as well as health care and social assistance.

In contrast, fewer Ontarians were employed in manufacturing compared in December 2019 compared to December 2018.

Youth employment gains increased by 115,000–roughly 4.8 per cent–over the last 12 months, largely due to the increase in part-time jobs.

Further, employment for core-aged men–ages 25 to 54–107,000, a 4.8 per cent increase, over the last 12 months.
Employment for core-aged women remained unchanged over the last 12 months.

For men over 55, employment increased by 67,000, or 1.1 per cent, while the number of women over 55 employed remained the same due to the fact the full-time gains were offset by a decline in part-time jobs.

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