A recent analysis by Bloomberg News revealed that jobs in Canada are mostly for men. More than 193,000 men were recruited in 2019, sinking the male unemployment rate below 6% for the first time since 1976.
The amount of new jobs in Canada in 2019 was twice the amount of men compared to women. This could make a significant impact on the country’s balance of purchasing power in the near future.
This observation was evident in Ontario due to the increase of construction activity in Toronto. There were 133,200 new jobs for men in the province last year. This resulted in a 5.3% decline on male unemployment rate. On the other hand, the female rate had 5.4%, while the overall unemployment rate nationwide recorded 5.6%.
Steady immigration, according to the Financial post, is one of the major factors of the trend. This fills the demand for professionals like construction workers and electricians. These are industries usually dominated by men.
Statistics Canada notes that these developments may offset the labor market declines.
In an interview with BNN Bloomberg, ZipRecruiter labour economist Julia Pollak explained the data must be properly interpreted, as “observers should remember that the numbers are highly volatile and that this is still the strongest year for job growth in Canada in 17 years.”
Meanwhile, salaries for permanent employees recorded a healthy 4.4% increase annually, keeping pace with growth in the months prior.
Jobs in smaller cities
Canada continues to provide work opportunities for new immigrants in smaller cities through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). The program allows provinces and territories to come up with their own eligibility criteria for economic class immigrants.
The PNP also nominates immigrants who meet their labor market needs for Canadian permanent resident status. The PNP helps lessen the share of immigration to Canada’s three largest provinces, Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.
The smaller cities in Canada with lower unemployment rates are the following:
- Moncton, New Brunswick: 5.1 per cent
- Quebec City, Quebec: 3.5 per cent
- Sherbrooke, Quebec: 4.7 per cent
- Trois-Rivieres, Quebec: 5.2 per cent
- Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario/Quebec: 4.4 per cent
- Hamilton, Ontario: 4.5 per cent
- Catherines-Niagara, Ontario: 4.8 per cent
- Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, Ontario: 5.2 per cent
- Brantford, Ontario: 3.8 per cent
- Guelph, Ontario: 5.6 per cent
- London, Ontario: 5.6 per cent
- Barrie, Ontario: 5.2 per cent
- Greater Sudbury, Ontario: 5.4 per cent
- Thunder Bay, Ontario: 5.0 per cent
- Winnipeg, Manitoba: 5.3 per cent
- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, 5.7 per cent
- Kelowna, British Columbia: 4.2 per cent
- Abbotsford-Mission, British Columbia: 4.9 per cent
- Victoria, British Columbia: 3.4 per cent
