Employment remained stable last month in Canada, as did the unemployment rate which remained unchanged at 5%, very close to the record low of 4.9% recorded in June and July 2022.
Statistics Canada adds that in Quebec, the unemployment rate was measured at 4.1% in February, a slight increase of 0.2.
The federal agency said employment rose by only 22,000, or 0.1% in February in Canada, after rising 0.3% in December and 0.8% in January. The number of people employed in the health care and social assistance sector rose 0.6% in February.
By contrast, employment fell by 1.5% in business, building and other support services; it was the first notable decline since October 2021 in the sector.
Employment was little changed among people aged 55 and over in February, but rose 0.7% among those aged 55 to 64. Moreover, employment among men and women aged 55 to 64 has been on a strong upward trend since last August.
On the other hand, employment was virtually unchanged among core-aged adults, those aged 25 to 54.
Regarding the provinces, Statistics Canada observed that employment remained stable in Quebec last month. The agency announces that the unemployment rate in the Quebec metropolitan area was only 1.9%, the lowest rate of all census metropolitan areas in Canada.
In New Brunswick, employment rose 1.3%, or 5,100, and the unemployment rate fell 1.2 to 6.3%.
In Prince Edward Island, employment rose 2%, or 1,700, and the unemployment rate was 7.3% last month.
Nova Scotia was the only province to post a decline in employment in February, down 4,700, or 0.9%. The unemployment rate rose 0.7 to 5.7%.