OTTAWA – Canada added 91,000 jobs in December, shattering economist expectations.
Statistics Canada’s labour force survey on Friday said the unemployment rate decreased 0.1 percentage points to 6.7 per cent, also beating expectations.
The education, transportation and finance sectors saw the largest gains in employment. The public sector added 40,000 jobs.
Full-time employment rose by 56,000.
The report said the country’s employment rate rose for the first time since January of 2023, though it contextualized it against slowing population growth.
While private sector employment was little changed in December – up 27,000 jobs – self-employment rose for the first time since February, up by 24,000.
Still, while private and public sector jobs have bounced back and grown since the pandemic, self-employment continues to lag. While self-employment rose by 64,000 jobs in 2024, it’s still down about 100,000 jobs since February 2020.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2025.
