Unemployment rate drops to 7.9 per cent
There were 93,000 net new jobs created in June, pushing the unemployment rate below eight per cent for the first time in more than one year, according to Statistics Canada.
The higher-than-expected job numbers pushed the unemployment rate down 0.2 percentage points to 7.9 per cent — the lowest it has been since January 2009.
June's job growth was evenly split between full- and part-time positions.
Since July 2009, there have been 403,000 net new jobs created in Canada, offsetting nearly all of the job losses experienced during the recession that began in the fall of 2008.
Nearly all of June's employment gains were in Ontario (60,000 new jobs) and Quebec (30,000 new jobs). The unemployment rates in Ontario and Quebec dropped to 8.3 per cent and 7.8 per cent, respectively.
However, there were job losses in Newfoundland and Labrador (down 8,100) and New Brunswick (down 4,400). The job losses in Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick pushed those province's unemployment rates up to 14.7 per cent and 9.3 per cent, respectively.
There were job gains in retail and wholesale trade (22,000), business, building and other support services (20,000), health care and social assistance (20,000), other services (17,000) and construction (11,000).
However, there were 14,000 job losses in manufacturing.
Most of June's job gains occurred in the private sector with 52,000 new jobs in June. Self employment also increased by 26,000.
Since July 2009, the number of employees in the private sector has risen by 349,000 (3.3 per cent), with most of the gains in recent months. The number of public sector workers has risen by 2.6 per cent over the same period, while self employment has declined by 1.3 per cent.
The employment increases in June were led by core-aged men 25 to 54, followed by workers 55 years and older and youths aged 15 to 24.
