The Canadian economy added 37,000 jobs in January as unemployment fell slightly to 5.7 per cent, the first decline since December 2022, according to a Friday report from Statistics Canada.
Unemployment falls for first time since December 2022
An employee is pictured in an office at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., on Thursday, March 30, 2023. The Canadian economy added 37,000 jobs in January as unemployment fell to 5.7 per cent, the first decline since December 2022, according to a Friday report from Statistics Canada. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
The Canadian economy added 37,000 jobs in January as unemployment fell slightly to 5.7 per cent, the first decline since December 2022, according to a Friday report from Statistics Canada.
After three consecutive months of little change in the jobs rate, the January figures were better than economists expected but were mostly driven by an increase in part-time work.
Workers’ wages, which have been growing rapidly as Canadians seek compensation to account for inflation, rose 5.3 per cent from a year ago.
More to come.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jenna Benchetrit is a senior writer with the business content unit at CBC News. She has also covered entertainment and education stories. A Montrealer based in Toronto, Jenna holds a master’s degree in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University. You can reach her at jenna.benchetrit@cbc.ca.
