Canada Adds 21,600 Jobs in November

Dec. 6, 2013 10:54 a.m. ETOTTAWA—The Canadian economy gained more jobs in November than markets anticipated and the jobless rate remained unchanged as manufacturers added workers at the fastest pace in 18 months, which helped offset a hefty decline in public-sector employment, Statistics Canada said Friday.
Canada added 21,600 net new jobs in November, after adding 13,200 jobs in October. Market expectations were for a gain of 12,000 according to economists at Royal Bank of Canada. The jobless rate in November was 6.9%, matching consensus and marking the third-straight month the unemployment rate was below 7%.
Even with the better-than-expected gain, the pace of hiring in Canada has slowed noticeably compared to 2012. Canada has averaged 13,400 net new jobs a month so far in 2013, with only data for December remaining, versus an average 25,400 a month in the same period in 2012. For the six months ended Nov. 30, the Canadian economy added an average 11,000 jobs a month, compared with 22,900 in the comparable year-ago period.
On a year-over-year basis, employment in Canada rose 1% in November, or by 179,100 jobs.
The participation rate, or the share of the population that’s in the labor force, was unchanged in November at 66.4%, representing the lowest level in over a decade, as the labor force grew at a slower pace than the population.
Most of the jobs created in November were of the part-time variety, totaling 20,000. Private-sector employers added 31,400 workers, while the ranks of the self-employed swelled by 19,100. The public sector, which the previous month’s data indicated added 47,300 people, shed 28,800 in November.
The manufacturing sector added 24,900 people in November, marking the best month of hiring since May, 2012. Nevertheless, employment in manufacturing declined 2.5%, or by 44,200 positions, on a year-over-year basis.
The construction industry shed 17,500 positions, and employment in the hospitality industry declined 13,500 — after a gain in the previous month of 29,900.
Annual hourly wages rose 2.4% in November, marking the fastest advance since April.
Write to Paul Vieira at paul.vieira@wsj.com

Originally posted here: Canada Adds 21,600 Jobs in November