After two months of strong growth, the labor market calmed down in February, creating 22,000 jobs. The unemployment rate remains unchanged at 5% in Canada and stands at 4.1% in Quebec.
The unemployment rate in Quebec rose slightly, from 3.9% in January to 4.1% in February, and the number of jobs was little changed, reports Statistics Canada. The unemployment rate in the Quebec City metropolitan area, at 1.9%, is the lowest rate in Canada. In the Montreal metropolitan area, the unemployment rate rose slightly, to 5% in February.
The job market calmed down in February, after the creation of 69,000 jobs in December and 150,000 in January. The health care sector added the most jobs, while a decline was observed in business services and building services. Employment in wholesale and retail trade, as well as in construction, remained stable.
Statistics Canada also reports an increase in the average hourly wage of 5.4% in February, while the inflation rate was 5.9% for the same month.
The employment rate, or the percentage of people aged 15 and over who are working, was 62.4%, down slightly from the previous month.