Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Market Brief
December 2011
Labour Force Trends – In December, employment grew faster than the labour force. As a result the unemployment rate decreased to 12.8%. Employment levels remain strong from a longer term perspective.
- In December, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 12.8% from 13.2% a month earlier as strong employment growth outpaced an increase in labour force size. The bulk of the employment growth was full-time in nature.
| Monthly Variation | Yearly Variation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonally Adjusted Monthly Data | Dec |
Nov 2011 | Dec 2010 | Number | % |
Number | % |
| Population 15+ ('000) | 428.6 | 428.6 | 429.0 | 0.0 | 0.0% | -0.4 | -0.1% |
| Labour Force ('000) | 260.5 | 258.0 | 259.2 | 2.5 | 1.0% | 1.3 | 0.5% |
| Employment ('000) | 227.2 | 224.0 | 222.9 | 3.2 | 1.4% | 4.3 | 1.9% |
| Full-Time ('000) | 195.4 | 192.8 | 191.1 | 2.6 | 1.3% | 4.3 | 2.3% |
| Part-Time ('000) | 31.9 | 31.2 | 31.8 | 0.7 | 2.2% | 0.1 | 0.3% |
| Unemployment ('000) | 33.3 | 34.0 | 36.3 | -0.7 | -2.1% |
-3.0 | -8.3% |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 12.8 | 13.2 | 14.0 | -0.4 | -1.2 | ||
| Participation Rate (%) | 60.8 | 60.2 | 60.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | ||
| Employment Rate (%) | 53.0 | 52.3 | 52.0 | 0.7 | 1.0 | ||
| Total may not add due to rounding Source: Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey – HRSDC Table 087 |
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- Compared to 12 months ago, the seasonally adjusted figures show an increase of 4,300 jobs. As the labour force grew at a slower pace, the province’s unemployment rate is down 1.2 percentage points from a year ago. The increase in jobs is attributed to full-time employment growth over the year. Part-time employment is essentially the same as reported twelve months ago.
Employment by Industry – Goods-producing industries drove the monthly increase in jobs. The service-producing sector showed little change overall. There was another record high in Construction.
- Almost all of December’s employment increase was in the goods-producing sector. Services showed little change overall, but Trade employment increased by 1,800 over the month. Construction remained very strong, reaching a record high for the second consecutive month. Professional, Scientific and Technical Services decreased for the second straight month after a record setting October.
| Monthly Variation | Yearly Variation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonally Adjusted Data ('000) | Dec 2011 | Nov 2011 | Dec 2010 |
Number | % | Number | % |
| Total Industry (000) | 227.2 | 224.0 | 222.9 | 3.2 | 1.4% | 4.3 | 1.9% |
| Goods-Producing Sector | 51.1 | 48.3 | 46.2 | 2.8 | 5.8% | 4.9 | 10.6% |
| Agriculture | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.3 | -0.4 | -25.0% | -1.1 | -47.8% |
| Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Oil & Gas | 15.1 | 14.7 | 16.4 | 0.4 | 2.7% | -1.3 | -7.9% |
| Utilities | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 8.7% | 0.7 | 38.9% |
| Construction | 20.3 | 19.8 | 16.6 | 0.5 | 2.5% | 3.7 | 22.3% |
| Manufacturing | 12.0 | 9.9 | 9.1 | 2.1 | 21.2% | 2.9 | 31.9% |
| Services-Producing Sector | 176.1 | 175.8 |
176.7 | 0.3 | 0.2% | -0.6 | -0.3% |
| Trade | 37.4 | 35.6 | 38.2 | 1.8 | 5.1% | -0.8 | -2.1% |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 10.1 | 9.4 | 10.7 | 0.7 | 7.4% | -0.6 | -5.6% |
| Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Leasing | 9.2 | 8.9 | 6.1 | 0.3 | 3.4% | 3.1 | 50.8% |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services | 9.2 | 9.7 | 7.9 | -0.5 | -5.2% | 1.3 | 16.5% |
| Business, Building and Other Support Services | 6.0 | 6.3 | 6.1 | -0.3 | -4.8% | -0.1 | -1.6% |
| Educational Services | 17.6 | 17.3 | 18.2 | 0.3 | 1.7% | -0.6 | -3.3% |
| Health Care & Social Assistance | 34.3 | 35.2 | 36.1 | -0.9 | -2.6% | -1.8 | -5.0% |
| Information, Culture & Recreation | 7.2 | 7.1 | 8.3 | 0.1 | 1.4% | -1.1 | -13.3% |
| Accommodation & Food Services | 13.2 | 13.7 | 13.8 | -0.5 | -3.6% | -0.6 | -4.3% |
| Other Services | 12.3 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 0.0 | 0.0% | 1.1 | 9.8% |
| Public Administration | 19.7 | 20.2 | 20.2 | -0.5 | -2.5% | -0.5 | -2.5% |
| "--" indicates number suppressed due to high sample variance Total may not add due to rounding Source: Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey – HRSDC Table-88 |
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Economic Regions – Results were mixed across the province. While the labour force has grown on the Avalon Peninsula due to increases in St. John’s, it has decreased in the rest of the province. The Avalon was the only region to have a notable increase in employment while the number of jobs in the South Coast-Burin region is smaller than last December. Outside the Avalon, full-time job losses exceeded gains in part-time work. In addition, an improvement in the unemployment rates of these areas was mainly due to a shrinking labour force rather than an employment increase.
- In the Avalon Peninsula, which includes the St. John’s area, the unemployment rate showed a small increase from 8.7% twelve months ago to 9.6% this December. The unemployment rate was higher because the labour force grew slightly faster than employment, which increased by 4100 jobs over the past year. Professional, Scientific and Technical Services and Construction showed notable gains from a year ago, while Trade showed the largest decline.
- The South Coast – Burin Peninsula region’s unemployment rate in December was 22.0%. This was a decrease of 1.0 percentage points from a year ago. While employment was notably lower, the labour force declined at a faster rate. Of note, the employment losses were full-time in nature. Job losses were mostly in the goods-producing sector. A local shipyard has been idle for a prolonged period and a fish plant in Marystown recently experienced a permanent closure after months of inactivity.
- In the West Coast – Northern Peninsula – Labrador region, the unemployment rate fell by 2.3 percentage points over the last twelve months to 14.3% as the labour force size decreased. Employment levels showed little change leaving fewer people looking for work.
- The unemployment rate for the Notre Dame – Central – Bonavista Bay region dropped by 1.6 percentage points as a result of a small increase in employment combined with a slight drop in labour force size. Part-time job gains outweighed a small decrease in full-time employment. Construction has shown notable growth, while the largest losses were in Forestry, Fishing, Mining and Oil and Gas.
| Three Month Moving Averages Seasonally Unadjusted Data | Dec |
Dec 2010 | Variation | Dec |
Dec 2010 |
Variation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 1010 - Avalon Peninsula | ||||||
| Population 15+ ('000) | 428.6 | 428.8 | -0.2 | 221.2 | 219.6 | 1.6 | |
| Labour Force ('000) | 255.4 | 252.9 | 2.5 | 144.4 | 138.4 | 6.0 | |
| Employment ('000) | 223.2 | 219.8 | 3.4 | 130.6 | 126.5 | 4.1 | |
| Full-Time ('000) | 190.2 | 187.3 | 2.9 | 111.6 | 106.8 | 4.8 | |
| Part-Time ('000) | 33.0 | 32.5 | 0.5 | 19.1 | 19.7 | -0.6 | |
| Unemployment ('000) | 32.2 | 33.1 | -0.9 | 13.8 | 12.0 | 1.8 | |
| Participation Rate (%) | 59.6 | 59.0 | 0.6 | 65.3 | 63.0 | 2.3 | |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 12.6 | 13.1 | -0.5 | 9.6 | 8.7 | 0.9 | |
| Employment Rate (%) | 52.1 | 51.3 | 0.8 | 59.0 | 57.6 | 1.4 | |
| 1020 - South Coast - Burin Peninsula | 1030 - West Coast - Northern Peninsula - Labrador | ||||||
| Population 15+ ('000) | 30.4 | 30.9 | -0.5 | 86.6 | 87.2 | -0.6 | |
| Labour Force ('000) | 16.4 | 17.8 | -1.4 | 48.9 | 50.6 | -1.7 | |
| Employment ('000) | 12.9 | 13.7 | -0.8 | 41.8 | 42.2 | -0.4 | |
| Full-Time ('000) | 11.2 | 12.1 | -0.9 | 35.8 | 36.6 | -0.8 | |
| Part-Time ('000) | 1.7 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 6.0 | 5.6 | 0.4 | |
| Unemployment ('000) | 3.6 | 4.1 | -0.5 | 7.0 | 8.4 | -1.4 | |
| Participation Rate (%) | 53.9 | 57.6 | -3.7 | 56.5 | 58.0 | -1.5 | |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 22.0 | 23.0 | -1.0 | 14.3 | 16.6 | -2.3 | |
| Employment Rate (%) | 42.4 | 44.3 | -1.9 | 48.3 | 48.4 | -0.1 | |
| 1040 - Notre Dame - Central Bonavista Bay | St-John's Nfld. | ||||||
| Population 15+ ('000) | 90.4 | 91.1 | -0.7 | 161.5 | 160.2 | 1.3 | |
| Labour Force ('000) | 45.7 | 46.0 | -0.3 | 114.2 | 108.2 | 6.0 | |
| Employment ('000) | 37.9 | 37.4 | 0.5 | 106.3 | 101.4 | 4.9 | |
| Full-Time ('000) | 31.6 | 31.8 | -0.2 | 90.4 | 85.4 | 5.0 | |
| Part-Time ('000) | 6.3 | 5.6 | 0.7 | 16.0 | 16.0 | 0.0 | |
| Unemployment ('000) | 7.8 | 8.6 | -0.8 | 7.9 | 6.8 | 1.1 | |
| Participation Rate (%) | 50.6 | 50.5 | 0.1 | 70.7 | 67.5 | 3.2 | |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 17.1 | 18.7 | -1.6 | 6.9 | 6.3 | 0.6 | |
| Employment Rate (%) | 41.9 | 41.1 | 0.8 | 65.8 | 63.3 | 2.5 | |
| Notes: "--" indicates number suppressed due to high sample variance Total may not add due to rounding Source: Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey – HRSDC Tables SGEODEM |
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For further information, please contact:
Jamie Grant
Economist
Labour Market Information Unit (NL), Service Canada
(709) 772-3165
jamie.grant@servicecanada.gc.ca
Please note that labour market news summaries are now available in separate publications for each region of the province, called the Labour Market Monitor.
About the Local Labour Market