Daily Times

The Canadian unemployment rate edged down to 5.9 percent in December from the previous month’s 6 percent, according to Statistics Canada on Friday. It was the lowest unemployment rate since February 2020 when it was 5.7 percent. Full-time employment rose by 123,000, or 0.8 percent while part-time employment declined by 68,000, or 1.9 percent, the official data showed. Canada registered 55,000 more jobs in December, up 0.3 percent from the previous month, due to gains in the goods-producing sector, which saw a rise of 44,000 jobs. Statistics Canada attributes the rise to the construction and educational services industries. The construction industry added 27,000 jobs in December, its first increase since August, but still remains 41,000 below the pre-COVID-19 level. Educational services increased by 17,000 jobs. Average hourly wages in the country were up 2.7 percent compared with a year earlier.