The Daily — Labour Force Survey, May 2024 (2024)

Released:2024-06-07

Highlights

Employment was little changed in May (+27,000; +0.1%) and the employment rate fell0.1percentage points to61.3%.

The unemployment rate was6.2% in May, up0.1percentage points in the month and0.9percentage points on a year-over-year basis.

Employment was up for young women aged15to24(+48,000; +3.7%) and for women aged55and older (+21,000; +1.1%) in May. At the same time, employment declined among core-aged women (aged25to54) (-40,000; -0.6%) and young men (-23,000; -1.6%).

Employment rose in May in health care and social assistance (+30,000; +1.1%), finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (+29,000; +2.0%), business, building and other support services (+19,000; +2.7%), as well as accommodation and food services (+13,000; +1.1%). It declined in construction (-30,000; -1.9%), transportation and warehousing (-21,000; -1.9%) and utilities (-5,400; -3.5%).

Employment increased in May in Ontario (+50,000; +0.6%), Manitoba (+7,800; +1.1%), and Saskatchewan (+5,400+0.9%), while there were declines in Alberta (-20,000; -0.8%), Newfoundland and Labrador (-2,100; -0.9%) and Prince Edward Island (-1,100; -1.2%). There was little change in the remaining provinces.

Total hours worked were unchanged in May and were up1.6% compared with12months earlier.

Average hourly wages among employees increased5.1% (+$1.69to $34.94) on a year-over-year basis in May, following growth of4.7% in April (not seasonally adjusted).

The employment rate of returning students aged20to24was61.0% in May,2.9percentage points lower than in May2023(63.9%) (not seasonally adjusted).

Employment holds steady in May following an increase in April

The total number of employed people was little changed in May (+27,000; +0.1%), following an increase of90,000(+0.4%) in April. On a year-over-year basis, employment was up by402,000(+2.0%) in May.

Part-time employment rose by62,000(+1.7%) in May, while full-time employment edged down (-36,000; -0.2%). On a year-over-year basis, part-time employment (+3.8%; +140,000) rose at a faster pace compared with full-time employment (+1.6%; +263,000).

The employment rate—the proportion of the population aged15and older who are employed—declined0.1percentage points to61.3% in May, the seventh decrease in the past eight months. Compared with its recent high of62.4% reached in January and February2023, the employment rate has fallen1.1percentage points, as population growth outpaced employment growth.

More people working part-time hours in their main job

While many workers in Canada work part-time (defined as working fewer than30hours per week) as a matter of choice, others do so involuntarily. Increases in the involuntary part-time rate can occur as a result of business or economic conditions, and may be an indicator of underemployment.

The involuntary part-time rate—the proportion of part-time workers who could not find a full-time job or who worked part-time due to poor business conditions—was18.2% in May, up from15.4% observed12months earlier.

In May, the proportion of involuntary part-time workers was up on a year-over-year basis among certain demographic groups. It was up2.9percentage points to22.6% among women aged25to54, and up2.4percentage points to10.4% among women aged55and older. In addition, a greater share of young men (aged15to24) worked part-time involuntarily in May (17.7%), an increase of5.6percentage points compared with May2023(not seasonally adjusted).

Youth employment rate unchanged in May, down compared with the same month a year prior

Employment rose by48,000(+3.7%) for young women aged15to24in May, the first increase in nine months. For male youth, employment declined by23,000in May (-1.6%), partly offsetting the increase in April (+39,000).

The youth employment rate was virtually unchanged in May at55.6%, but has generally been on a strong downward trend following a recent high of59.4% in March2023. On a year-over-year basis, the youth employment rate was down2.4percentage points in May2024, and was lower than the average rate of58.2% observed from2017to2019, prior to the COVID-19pandemic.

Employment rate falls among returning students

From May to August, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) collects labour market information from students who attended school full time in March and who intend to return to school full time in the fall. The month of May provides the first indicator of the summer job market, especially for students aged20to24, as many younger students are still in school.

In May2024, the employment rate of returning students aged20to24was61.0%,2.9percentage points lower than in May2023(63.9%). In comparison, the average employment rate for May in2017,2018and2019was62.2% (not seasonally adjusted).

The decline from May2023to May2024for returning students was primarily among males aged20to24, whose employment rate fell6.6percentage points to57.3% over the period. The employment rate for female returning students aged20to24was64.2% in May2024, and was little changed from the same month a year earlier.

In May, among returning students aged20to24, young men most commonly worked summer jobs in retail trade (27.2%), accommodation and food services (14.8%) and information, culture and recreation (10.7%). In comparison, young women most commonly worked summer jobs in accommodation and food services (23.6%), retail trade (20.9%) and health care and social assistance (15.0%).

Employment declines for core-aged women

Employment among core-aged women (aged25to54) fell by40,000(-0.6%) in May, the first decline since March2022. As a result, the employment rate of women in this age group fell0.8percentage points to80.6% in May2024, the lowest rate since January2022.

For core-aged men, employment held steady in May2024and the employment rate decreased0.2percentage points to87.1%. On a year-over-year basis, the employment rate for core-aged men was down1.0percentage points.

Despite trending down in the past year, the employment rates of core-aged women and men in May remained above their respective pre-pandemic annual averages from2017to2019(79.3% for women and86.5% for men).

Among people aged55to64, employment in May2024rose by25,000(+1.7%) for women while it declined by12,000for men (-0.7%). Compared with12months earlier, the employment rates in May were little changed at60.5% for women in this age group and70.3% for men. Overall, the employment rate for people aged55to64was65.3% in May, higher than the average of62.6% observed annually from2017to2019.

Unemployment rate ticks up to6.2%

The unemployment rate increased0.1percentage points to6.2% in May. The unemployment rate has trended up since April2023, rising1.1percentage points over the period.

There were1.4million unemployed people in May2024, an increase of28,000(+2.1%) from the previous month. Of those who were unemployed in April2024, just under one-quarter (24.0%) had transitioned to employment in May (not seasonally adjusted). This was lower than the pre-pandemic average for the same months in2017,2018and2019(31.5%). A lower proportion of unemployed people transitioning into employment may indicate that people are facing greater difficulties finding work in the current labour market.

Long-term unemployment—the proportion of those who had been continuously unemployed for27weeks or more—stood at18.2% in May, up from a recent low of13.2% in August2023.

Unemployment rates trending up across all major demographic groups over the previous12months

In May, the unemployment rate rose by0.2percentage points to5.1% among core-aged women, and by0.3percentage points to5.0% among men aged55and older. Meanwhile, it fell0.9percentage points to11.7% among young women, as employment increased.

On a year-over-year basis, the unemployment rate was up across all major demographic groups, with youth aged15to24recording the largest increases. From May2023to May2024, the unemployment rate rose by1.7percentage points for young women and by1.9percentage points for young men.

Employment increases in health care and social assistance, decreases in construction

Employment in health care and social assistance increased by30,000(+1.1%) in May, the third consecutive monthly increase. Over the previous12months, employment in the industry rose by170,000(+6.5%).

Employment also increased in finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (+29,000; +2.0%) in May, following little change the previous month. After declining in the second half of2023, employment in this industry has rebounded, with a cumulative increase of76,000(+5.6%) since November2023.

Employment in construction declined by30,000(-1.9%) in May2024. On a year-over-year basis, employment in this industry was down by35,000(-2.2%).

Employment also declined in transportation and warehousing (-21,000; -1.9%) in May. Despite the change in the month, employment in this industry was up by48,000(+4.7%) on a year-over-year basis.

Employment up in three provinces in May, led by Ontario, while three provinces post declines, led by Alberta

Employment in Ontario increased by50,000(+0.6%) in May, the fourth gain in five months. From December to May, cumulative employment increases totalled131,000(+1.7%). In May, the employment rate rose0.2percentage points to60.8%. This was the first increase in Ontario's employment rate since June2023. The unemployment rate in the province (6.7%) was little changed in May2024.

Employment in Manitoba increased by7,800(+1.1%) in May, mostly offsetting declines in February and March. The unemployment rate in Manitoba was little changed at4.9% in May, and was the lowest among the provinces.

In Saskatchewan, employment increased by5,400in May (+0.9%), the first significant gain since October2023. Compared with May2023, the employment rate remained at63.7%, as employment growth (+2.9%) increased at a similar pace as population growth among those aged15and older in the LFS (+2.9%).

Employment in Alberta decreased by20,000(-0.8%) in May. This was the first significant decline in employment since September2023. At7.2%, the unemployment rate was little changed in May2024. On a year-over-year basis, the population aged15and older in the LFS increased by4.7%, while employment grew at a slower pace (+2.7%). As a result, the employment rate in Alberta fell1.3percentage points over the period to64.4%.

Following an increase in April, employment in Quebec was virtually unchanged in May and the unemployment rate held steady at5.1%. Employment in the province has varied little since September2023, and the employment rate fell one percentage point to61.2% over that period.

In the spotlight: Employment rate down among core-aged Inuit in Nunavut

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, a time to recognize the rich history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations people, Inuit and Métis.

In May2024, the employment rate for First Nations people aged25to54living off-reserve in the provinces was68.7%, little changed from a year earlier (67.4%). Among First Nations youth (aged15to24) living off-reserve, the employment rate fell6.6percentage points to45.2% over the same period (three-month moving averages; not seasonally adjusted).

The employment rate of core-aged Métis living in the provinces was77.8% in May, compared with80.0% for the same month a year earlier. Among Métis youth, the employment rate was down7.1percentage points to52.6% over the same period and among Métis aged55and older, it was down8.6percentage points to31.3% (three-month moving averages; not seasonally adjusted).

Today, Statistics Canada released a new annual data table on the labour force characteristics of First Nations people, Inuit and Métis living in the three territories from2007to2023. In2023, the employment rate of core-aged Inuit in Nunavut was51.8%, down5.7percentage points from a year earlier.

In the spotlight: Proportion of workers who work exclusively from home down slightly compared with12months ago

After most pandemic-related public health restrictions were lifted in2022, the proportion of Canadians working exclusively from home fell notably, as many workers returned to their offices or work sites across the country. Since then, the share of Canadians working from home has declined much more slowly.

In May2024,13.2% of employed Canadians were working exclusively at home (population aged15to69, not seasonally adjusted), and10.3% had a hybrid work arrangement—that is, they usually worked some hours at home, and some hours at locations other than home. The proportion of workers working exclusively from home was down5.5percentage points compared with May2022and down1.2percentage points compared with May2023. After increasing from6.4% in May2022to10.0% in May2023, the share of workers with a hybrid arrangement was little changed in the12months ending in May2024.

Products

More information about the concepts and use of the Labour Force Survey is available online in the Guide to the Labour Force Survey (Catalogue number71-543-G).

The product "Labour Force Survey in brief: Interactive app" (Catalogue number14200001) is also available. This interactive visualization application provides seasonally adjusted estimates by province, sex, age group and industry.

The product "Labour Market Indicators, by province and census metropolitan area, seasonally adjusted" (Catalogue number71-607-X) is also available. This interactive dashboard provides customizable access to key labour market indicators.

The product "Labour Market Indicators, by province, territory and economic region, unadjusted for seasonality" (Catalogue number71-607-X) is also available. This dynamic web application provides access to labour market indicators for Canada, provinces, territories and economic regions.

The product Labour Force Survey: Public Use Microdata File (Catalogue number71M0001X) is also available. This public use microdata file contains non-aggregated data for a wide variety of variables collected from the Labour Force Survey. The data have been modified to ensure that no individual or business is directly or indirectly identified. This product is for users who prefer to do their own analysis by focusing on specific subgroups in the population or by cross-classifying variables that are not in our catalogued products.

Contact information

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).