Prince Edward Island Labour Market Brief
January 2011
The bottom line: Labour market conditions remain soft in PEI!
| Monthly Variation | Yearly Variation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| in thousands of persons | January 2011 | December 2010 | January 2010 | Level | Percent | Level | Percent |
| Population 15+ | 118.2 | 118.4 | 116.4 | -0.2 | -0.2 | 1.8 | 1.5 |
| Labour Force | 79.6 | 80.4 | 79.6 | 0.8 | -1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Employment | 70.6 | 70.7 | 71.7 | -0.1 | -0.1 | -1.1 | -1.5 |
| Full-Time | 58.6 | 58.6 | 57.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 1.2 |
| Part-Time | 12.0 | 12.1 | 13.8 | -0.1 | -0.8 | -1.8 | -13.0 |
| Unemployment | 9.0 | 9.6 | 7.9 | -0.6 | -6.3 | 1.1 | 13.9 |
| Participate Rate (%) | 67.3 | 67.9 | 68.4 | -0.6 | -0.9 | -1.1 | -1.6 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 11.3 | 11.9 | 9.9 | -0.6 | -5.0 | 1.4 | 14.1 |
| Employment Rate (%) | 59.7 | 59.7 | 61.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -1.9 | -3.1 |
| Total may not add due to rounding Source: Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey |
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There was little change in the labour market month-to-month. The labour force fell slightly while employment levels remained unchanged. The unemployment rate fell to 11.3%.
The Island labour force showed no change on a year-over-year basis. Employment declined from the previous year by 1,100 (or -1.5%). All of the job losses were in part-time work. Full-time employment rose by 700 compared to January 2010 and the majority of job gainers were mostly comprised of women.
The unemployment rate was 1.4 percentage points higher compared to January 2010. The level of unemployment rose by 1,100 on a year-over-year basis, and this combined with an unchanged labour force, kept the unemployment rate high. The greatest year-over-year change in the unemployment rate occurred for the core-age cohort (i.e. persons 25-54 years of age), which rose by 3 percentage points to 11.5% in January 2011.
The unemployment rate for youths remained unchanged. By gender, males experienced a 1.7 percentage point increase to 20.3% which was the second highest unemployment rate in the country (behind NF).
The participation rate declined by 1.1 percentage points to 67.3% in January 2011, but is still slightly higher than the national average (67%). The participation rate for youth women was the highest in the country, at 69.1% in January 2011.
| Monthly Variation | Yearly Variation | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonally Adjusted Data ('000) | January 2011 | December 2010 | January 2010 | Number | % | Number | % |
| Total | 70.6 | 70.7 | 71.7 | -0.1 | -0.1 | -1.1 | -1.5 |
| Goods Producing Sector | 17.2 | 17.1 | 18.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | -0.8 | -4.4 |
| Agriculture | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 0.2 | 5.7 | -0.2 | -5.1 |
| Forestry, fishing, mining, oil and gas | 3.0 | 3.1 | 2.6 | -0.1 | -3.2 | 0.4 | 15.4 |
| Utilities | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 33.3 | 0.1 | 33.3 |
| Construction | 5.1 | 4.8 | 5.9 | 0.3 | 6.3 | -0.8 | -13.6 |
| Manufacturing | 5.1 | 5.4 | 5.3 | -0.3 | -5.6 | -0.2 | -3.8 |
| Service Producing Sector | 53.4 | 53.7 | 53.7 | -0.3 | -0.6 | -0.3 | -0.6 |
| Trade | 9.6 | 9.6 | 11.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -1.9 | -16.5 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 1.8 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -0.1 | -5.3 |
| Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing | 2.3 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 15.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.3 | -0.1 | -3.4 | 0.5 | 21.7 |
| Business, building and other support services | 2.8 | 3.0 | 2.7 | -0.2 | -6.7 | 0.1 | 3.7 |
| Educational Services | 6.1 | 6.2 | 5.7 | -0.1 | -1.6 | 0.4 | 7.0 |
| Health care and social assistance | 8.7 | 8.9 | 8.7 | -0.2 | -2.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Information culture and recreation | 3.0 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 36.4 |
| Accommodations and food services | 5.3 | 5.5 | 5.4 | -0.2 | -3.6 | -0.1 | -1.9 |
| Other Services | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.3 | -0.3 | -10.0 | -0.6 | -18.2 |
| Public Administration | 8.2 | 7.9 | 7.6 | 0.3 | 3.8 | 0.6 | 7.9 |
| "-" 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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There were 70,600 employed in PEI in January 2011, and nearly 76% were employed in service sector industries. Construction and manufacturing industries comprise nearly 60% of total goods-sector employment in PEI.
Goods-producing sector
Goods-sector employment was down by 4.4% in January 2011, compared to a year ago.
- The majority of losses were concentrated in construction (-800); and both manufacturing and agriculture experienced employment declines of 200 year-over-year.
- Employment levels in forestry and fishing rose by 400 from January 2010.
- Employment in construction has declined considerably throughout 2010. Using seasonally adjusted data, there was an average of 5,800 persons employed in construction in the fourth quarter 2009. In the same quarter 2010, an average 4,700 persons were employed in the industry (-19% decline).
Services-producing sector
Employment in services totalled 53,400 in January 2011, which is down only slightly from January 2010.
- Employment in trade remains stable at 9,600 in January 2011, where it has been sitting since September 2010. This is down considerably from 11,500 in January 2010.
- Offsetting the decline in trade for the most part were employment gains in other service industries, in particular: information, culture and recreation (+800); professional and scientific services (+500); and educational services (+400).
- Similar to the construction industry, employment levels in trade (largely retail) fell significantly throughout 2010. Average employment in trade from the fourth quarter 2009 to fourth quarter 2010 declined by nearly 1,600 or 14% in PEI.
Prepared by: Labour Market and Socio-economic Information Directorate, Maritime Region
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