Employment remained virtually unchanged in December in Canada and the unemployment rate remained at 5.8%.
Statistics Canada also observed that in Quebec, the rate fell by 0.5 compared to November to stand at 4.7%.
Employment also changed little in November in Canada, having increased by 25,000 or 0.1%, an identical percentage to October’s increase.
The federal agency observed that in December, the number of people employed increased particularly in Canada in the professional, scientific and technical services sector, but that declines were noted in five sectors, particularly in the trade of wholesale and retail and in manufacturing.
In December, 1.2 million people were unemployed in Canada, up 202,000 or 19.3% from 12 months earlier. The unemployment rate has generally been on an upward trend across all major demographic groups and the largest increase has been among young people aged 15 to 24.
Employment in Quebec changed little last month for a second consecutive month. As the number of people looking for work fell, the unemployment rate fell 0.5 percentage points to 4.7%, partially offsetting the 0.8 point increase in percentage recorded in October and November.
Statistics Canada recalls that in December, among all employees in Quebec, approximately 162,000 lost work hours due to strikes in the public sector.
Compared to a year earlier, employment in Quebec was up 1.5%, or 65,000 in December.
In the Maritimes, Nova Scotia was the only one of the three provinces to post an increase in employment last month, by 6,300, or 1.3%. The unemployment rate in this province fell in one month by 0.8 percentage points, to 6%.
In New Brunswick, the unemployment rate increased during the same period, from 6.4% to 6.6%, while it remained stable at 8.1% in Prince Edward Island.