Friday, November 2, 2007 Released at 7:00 a.m. Eastern time in The Daily

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Employment continued to rise in October, jumping an estimated 63,000, split between full and part time. At the same time, the unemployment rate fell to a 33-year low of 5.8%, down 0.1 of a percentage point from September.

Employment has increased 2.1% (+346,000) so far in 2007, the strongest January-to-October growth in the past five years. October's employment rate reached an all-time high of 63.7%.

In October, women aged 25 and over posted a record employment rate (59.4%), along with the lowest unemployment rate (4.3%) in over 30 years.

Workers aged 55 and over accounted for the majority of the employment gain in October. With these gains, the proportion of persons aged 55 and over who were employed reached its highest level, at 32.2%. Employment for older workers has risen 6.9% since the start of 2007, in contrast to 1.2% for those aged 25 to 54.

For the second consecutive month, more than half the increase in employment occurred in Ontario. In October, employment increased 32,000 in this province, while the unemployment rate declined to 6.0%.

At the national level, October's employment increase was in the service sector, most notably in health care and social assistance, "other services", and public administration. However, this strength was tempered by losses in business, building and other support services, as well as accommodation and food services.

Spurred on by the gains in health care and public administration, employment growth in October was concentrated among public sector employees. With stronger growth in recent months, employment in the public sector has increased 5.6% so far in 2007.

Wage pressure continued to build in October, with the year-over-year increase in average hourly wages estimated at 4.1%, still well above the most recent year-over-year Consumer Price Index increase of 2.5%. October marks the third consecutive month with a year-over-year increase in employee wages above 4%.

Employment growth continues to be driven by service sector

In October, service sector employment grew by 66,000, boosting its growth in the last 12 months to 3.2%. According to the most recent statistics, the gross domestic product of the service sector grew 3.2% in 12 months, compared with a growth rate of 0.8% for the goods-producing sector.

Of all industries, health care and social assistance posted the strongest estimated employment growth in October (+29,000). There was also an increase in "other services" (+24,000), an industry that covers a variety of activities, such as dry cleaning and laundry services, electronic and precision equipment repair and maintenance, as well as grant-making and giving services. As well, public administration added an estimated 20,000 workers in October, all in Ontario.

In contrast to the growth in the service sector, there has been overall weakness in the goods-producing industries, where employment has edged down 0.5% since the start of the year. So far in 2007, significant losses in manufacturing have been almost completely offset by robust gains in construction and utilities. In October, utilities was the only industry in the goods-producing sector to show signs of strength. Utilities include electric power generation, transmission and distribution, natural gas distribution, and water supply and sewage systems.

Back-to-back gains in Ontario

After slow growth throughout most of 2007, employment grew strongly in Ontario for the second consecutive month, up 32,000 in October, mainly in part time. So far in 2007, employment in Ontario has risen an estimated 1.7%, still below the national average of 2.1%.

October's employment growth in Ontario was mainly in public administration and "other services". The growth in public administration was due, in part, to the provincial election, which coincided with the Labour Force Survey reference week.

Quebec's unemployment rate in October remained at 6.9%, the lowest level in 33 years. So far in 2007, employment has grown 2.2%, spurred on by gains in construction, accommodation and food services, and "other services". These gains have pushed the employment rate up, bringing it to a new record high of 61.2% in October.

Strong labour market across the West

In Manitoba, employment grew 0.6% (+3,600) in October, bringing the increase since the start of 2007 to 2.5%. In October, Manitoba's employment rate reached an all-time high of 66.8%. The province also had the second lowest unemployment rate in Canada (4.0%).

Although employment in British Columbia showed little change in October, it has grown 2.4% since the start of 2007, mainly due to strong growth in trade. In October, the unemployment rate in the province stood at 4.4%, among the lowest rates in Canada.

Alberta's employment was little changed in October. However, the province continued to have the lowest unemployment rate in the country, at 3.4%, as well as Canada's highest employment rate (71.5%).

In Nova Scotia, October's employment increase (+5,300) was mainly attributable to full-time work. For the first 10 months of 2007, employment has grown mainly in information, culture and recreation, in health care and social assistance, and in professional, scientific and technical services.

Older workers lead the way

Employment increased by 32,000 among people 55 and over, with the gains distributed equally between men and women. So far in 2007, employment among this group has grown 6.9%, a much faster pace than that for core-age workers 25 to 54 years of age (+1.2%).

The participation rate in October for Canadians aged 55 and over reached an all-time high of 33.8%. This was due in large part to older women, who in October had their highest employment and participation rates in at least three decades.

Employment for men and women in the core-age group increased by an estimated 24,000 in October. Since the beginning of 2007, 70% of the employment increase for this group has been attributed to women. These gains have brought the unemployment rate for these women down to 4.2% in October, more than one percentage point below that of men (5.4%).

Note: The Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates are based on a sample, and are therefore subject to sampling variability. Estimates for smaller geographic areas or industries will have more variability. For an explanation of sampling variability of estimates, as well as how to use standard errors to assess this variability, consult the "Data quality" section of the publication Labour Force Information (71-001-XWE, free).

Available on CANSIM: tables 282-0001 to 282-0042, 282-0047 to 282-0064 and 282-0069 to 282-0099.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3701.

A more detailed summary, Labour Force Information (71-001-XWE, free), is now available online for the week ending October 13. From the Publications module of our website, under Free Internet publications, choose Labour. LAN and bulk prices are available on request. The CD-ROM, Labour Force Historical Review, 2006 (71F0004XCB, $209), is now available.

Data tables are also now available online. From the By Subject module of our website, choose Labour.

The next release of the Labour Force Survey will be on December 7.

For general information or to order data, contact Client Services (toll-free 1-866-873-8788; 613-951-4090; labour@statcan.ca). To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Vincent Ferrao (613-951-4750), or Jeannine Usalcas (613-951-4720), Labour Statistics Division.

Labour force characteristics by age and sex
	September 2007	October 2007	September to October 2007	October 2006 to October 2007	September to October 2007	October 2006 to October 2007
	Seasonally adjusted
	thousands		change in thousands		% change
Both sexes 15+
Population	26,631.8	26,663.2	31.4	364.3	0.1	1.4
Labour force	17,976.7	18,029.2	52.5	380.5	0.3	2.2
Employment	16,923.0	16,986.0	63.0	421.6	0.4	2.5
Full-time	13,863.2	13,898.7	35.5	277.2	0.3	2.0
Part-time	3,059.9	3,087.4	27.5	144.5	0.9	4.9
Unemployment	1,053.6	1,043.1	-10.5	-41.2	-1.0	-3.8
Participation rate	67.5	67.6	0.1	0.5	...	...
Unemployment rate	5.9	5.8	-0.1	-0.3	...	...
Employment rate	63.5	63.7	0.2	0.7	...	...
Part-time rate	18.1	18.2	0.1	0.4	...	...
Youths 15 to 24
Population	4,359.8	4,363.1	3.3	31.0	0.1	0.7
Labour force	2,907.0	2,912.9	5.9	40.7	0.2	1.4
Employment	2,582.5	2,589.1	6.6	40.2	0.3	1.6
Full-time	1,426.2	1,422.8	-3.4	-35.4	-0.2	-2.4
Part-time	1,156.3	1,166.3	10.0	75.6	0.9	6.9
Unemployment	324.5	323.9	-0.6	0.6	-0.2	0.2
Participation rate	66.7	66.8	0.1	0.5	...	...
Unemployment rate	11.2	11.1	-0.1	-0.2	...	...
Employment rate	59.2	59.3	0.1	0.5	...	...
Part-time rate	44.8	45.0	0.2	2.2	...	...
Men 25+
Population	10,880.2	10,894.1	13.9	165.4	0.1	1.5
Labour force	8,000.8	8,041.1	40.3	147.8	0.5	1.9
Employment	7,603.8	7,624.6	20.8	153.6	0.3	2.1
Full-time	7,118.7	7,137.6	18.9	143.0	0.3	2.0
Part-time	485.2	487.0	1.8	10.6	0.4	2.2
Unemployment	397.0	416.5	19.5	-5.9	4.9	-1.4
Participation rate	73.5	73.8	0.3	0.2	...	...
Unemployment rate	5.0	5.2	0.2	-0.2	...	...
Employment rate	69.9	70.0	0.1	0.4	...	...
Part-time rate	6.4	6.4	0.0	0.0	...	...
Women 25+
Population	11,391.9	11,406.0	14.1	167.9	0.1	1.5
Labour force	7,068.9	7,075.1	6.2	191.9	0.1	2.8
Employment	6,736.7	6,772.3	35.6	227.8	0.5	3.5
Full-time	5,318.3	5,338.3	20.0	169.6	0.4	3.3
Part-time	1,418.4	1,434.1	15.7	58.3	1.1	4.2
Unemployment	332.1	302.8	-29.3	-35.9	-8.8	-10.6
Participation rate	62.1	62.0	-0.1	0.8	...	...
Unemployment rate	4.7	4.3	-0.4	-0.6	...	...
Employment rate	59.1	59.4	0.3	1.2	...	...
Part-time rate	21.1	21.2	0.1	0.2	...	...
... not applicable Note: Related to CANSIM table 282-0087.

Employment by class of worker and industry (based on NAICS1)
	September 2007	October 2007	September to October 2007	October 2006 to October 2007	September to October 2007	October 2006 to October 2007
	Seasonally adjusted
	thousands		change in thousands		% change
Class of worker
Employees	14,295.9	14,340.5	44.6	254.8	0.3	1.8
Self-employed	2,627.1	2,645.5	18.4	166.8	0.7	6.7
Public/private sector employees
Public	3,332.5	3,370.5	38.0	158.9	1.1	4.9
Private	10,963.5	10,970.0	6.5	95.9	0.1	0.9
All industries	16,923.0	16,986.0	63.0	421.6	0.4	2.5
Goods-producing sector	3,999.8	3,996.5	-3.3	13.0	-0.1	0.3
Agriculture	350.0	348.1	-1.9	9.0	-0.5	2.7
Natural resources	329.1	327.2	-1.9	-14.6	-0.6	-4.3
Utilities	141.9	146.6	4.7	19.5	3.3	15.3
Construction	1,143.7	1,143.0	-0.7	62.4	-0.1	5.8
Manufacturing	2,035.1	2,031.6	-3.5	-63.3	-0.2	-3.0
Service-producing sector	12,923.3	12,989.5	66.2	408.6	0.5	3.2
Trade	2,680.8	2,692.8	12.0	63.0	0.4	2.4
Transportation and warehousing	812.9	816.9	4.0	13.8	0.5	1.7
Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing	1,057.9	1,067.1	9.2	10.1	0.9	1.0
Professional, scientific and technical services	1,159.8	1,160.3	0.5	76.2	0.0	7.0
Business, building and other support services	718.7	696.9	-21.8	-16.9	-3.0	-2.4
Educational services	1,196.2	1,195.7	-0.5	21.8	0.0	1.9
Health care and social assistance	1,832.6	1,861.2	28.6	55.8	1.6	3.1
Information, culture and recreation	784.6	789.0	4.4	43.1	0.6	5.8
Accommodation and food services	1,083.5	1,069.6	-13.9	35.1	-1.3	3.4
Other services	715.5	739.3	23.8	42.6	3.3	6.1
Public administration	880.6	900.8	20.2	64.1	2.3	7.7
1. North American Industry Classification System. Note: Related to CANSIM tables 282-0088 and 282-0089.

Labour force characteristics by province
	September 2007	October 2007	September to October 2007	October 2006 to October 2007	September to October 2007	October 2006 to October 2007
	Seasonally adjusted
	thousands		change in thousands		% change
Newfoundland and Labrador
Population	423.3	423.6	0.3	-3.3	0.1	-0.8
Labour force	250.4	250.7	0.3	-4.9	0.1	-1.9
Employment	216.3	216.8	0.5	-2.6	0.2	-1.2
Full-time	187.3	187.5	0.2	1.1	0.1	0.6
Part-time	29.0	29.3	0.3	-3.7	1.0	-11.2
Unemployment	34.0	33.9	-0.1	-2.3	-0.3	-6.4
Participation rate	59.2	59.2	0.0	-0.7	...	...
Unemployment rate	13.6	13.5	-0.1	-0.7	...	...
Employment rate	51.1	51.2	0.1	-0.2	...	...
Prince Edward Island
Population	113.6	113.7	0.1	1.2	0.1	1.1
Labour force	77.4	77.0	-0.4	0.6	-0.5	0.8
Employment	69.2	70.2	1.0	2.3	1.4	3.4
Full-time	57.9	57.9	0.0	1.1	0.0	1.9
Part-time	11.3	12.3	1.0	1.2	8.8	10.8
Unemployment	8.1	6.8	-1.3	-1.7	-16.0	-20.0
Participation rate	68.1	67.7	-0.4	-0.2	...	...
Unemployment rate	10.5	8.8	-1.7	-2.3	...	...
Employment rate	60.9	61.7	0.8	1.3	...	...
Nova Scotia
Population	764.9	765.0	0.1	1.8	0.0	0.2
Labour force	483.6	487.5	3.9	7.2	0.8	1.5
Employment	445.0	450.3	5.3	8.7	1.2	2.0
Full-time	360.1	364.8	4.7	5.9	1.3	1.6
Part-time	84.9	85.5	0.6	2.8	0.7	3.4
Unemployment	38.6	37.2	-1.4	-1.5	-3.6	-3.9
Participation rate	63.2	63.7	0.5	0.8	...	...
Unemployment rate	8.0	7.6	-0.4	-0.5	...	...
Employment rate	58.2	58.9	0.7	1.0	...	...
New Brunswick
Population	614.0	614.5	0.5	3.5	0.1	0.6
Labour force	395.7	393.6	-2.1	9.5	-0.5	2.5
Employment	363.1	363.8	0.7	10.8	0.2	3.1
Full-time	305.4	307.0	1.6	8.8	0.5	3.0
Part-time	57.7	56.9	-0.8	2.0	-1.4	3.6
Unemployment	32.6	29.8	-2.8	-1.3	-8.6	-4.2
Participation rate	64.4	64.1	-0.3	1.2	...	...
Unemployment rate	8.2	7.6	-0.6	-0.5	...	...
Employment rate	59.1	59.2	0.1	1.4	...	...
Quebec
Population	6,325.8	6,330.3	4.5	57.7	0.1	0.9
Labour force	4,148.5	4,163.3	14.8	61.3	0.4	1.5
Employment	3,864.2	3,874.3	10.1	89.0	0.3	2.4
Full-time	3,131.3	3,158.5	27.2	41.9	0.9	1.3
Part-time	732.9	715.8	-17.1	47.1	-2.3	7.0
Unemployment	284.3	289.0	4.7	-27.7	1.7	-8.7
Participation rate	65.6	65.8	0.2	0.4	...	...
Unemployment rate	6.9	6.9	0.0	-0.8	...	...
Employment rate	61.1	61.2	0.1	0.9	...	...
... not applicable Note: Related to CANSIM table 282-0087.

Labour force characteristics by province
	September 2007	October 2007	September to October 2007	October 2006 to October 2007	September to October 2007	October 2006 to October 2007
	Seasonally adjusted
	thousands		change in thousands		% change
Ontario
Population	10,391.0	10,403.9	12.9	133.2	0.1	1.3
Labour force	7,058.1	7,082.2	24.1	151.9	0.3	2.2
Employment	6,623.7	6,656.0	32.3	164.7	0.5	2.5
Full-time	5,440.8	5,447.2	6.4	98.6	0.1	1.8
Part-time	1,182.9	1,208.8	25.9	66.1	2.2	5.8
Unemployment	434.4	426.1	-8.3	-12.9	-1.9	-2.9
Participation rate	67.9	68.1	0.2	0.6	...	...
Unemployment rate	6.2	6.0	-0.2	-0.3	...	...
Employment rate	63.7	64.0	0.3	0.8	...	...
Manitoba
Population	900.6	901.5	0.9	8.4	0.1	0.9
Labour force	624.7	627.7	3.0	14.0	0.5	2.3
Employment	598.7	602.3	3.6	14.2	0.6	2.4
Full-time	488.4	486.9	-1.5	18.5	-0.3	3.9
Part-time	110.3	115.3	5.0	-4.3	4.5	-3.6
Unemployment	26.0	25.4	-0.6	-0.2	-2.3	-0.8
Participation rate	69.4	69.6	0.2	0.9	...	...
Unemployment rate	4.2	4.0	-0.2	-0.2	...	...
Employment rate	66.5	66.8	0.3	1.0	...	...
Saskatchewan
Population	753.6	755.1	1.5	9.0	0.2	1.2
Labour force	522.6	525.1	2.5	5.0	0.5	1.0
Employment	502.5	502.6	0.1	2.7	0.0	0.5
Full-time	411.6	416.3	4.7	9.8	1.1	2.4
Part-time	90.9	86.3	-4.6	-7.1	-5.1	-7.6
Unemployment	20.0	22.5	2.5	2.4	12.5	11.9
Participation rate	69.3	69.5	0.2	-0.2	...	...
Unemployment rate	3.8	4.3	0.5	0.4	...	...
Employment rate	66.7	66.6	-0.1	-0.4	...	...
Alberta
Population	2,759.9	2,764.1	4.2	90.2	0.2	3.4
Labour force	2,046.2	2,045.9	-0.3	84.7	0.0	4.3
Employment	1,973.3	1,977.1	3.8	74.4	0.2	3.9
Full-time	1,660.1	1,656.6	-3.5	42.0	-0.2	2.6
Part-time	313.2	320.5	7.3	32.5	2.3	11.3
Unemployment	72.9	68.9	-4.0	10.4	-5.5	17.8
Participation rate	74.1	74.0	-0.1	0.7	...	...
Unemployment rate	3.6	3.4	-0.2	0.4	...	...
Employment rate	71.5	71.5	0.0	0.3	...	...
British Columbia
Population	3,585.2	3,591.4	6.2	62.5	0.2	1.8
Labour force	2,369.5	2,376.2	6.7	51.1	0.3	2.2
Employment	2,266.8	2,272.6	5.8	57.4	0.3	2.6
Full-time	1,820.0	1,816.0	-4.0	49.7	-0.2	2.8
Part-time	446.8	456.6	9.8	7.6	2.2	1.7
Unemployment	102.6	103.6	1.0	-6.3	1.0	-5.7
Participation rate	66.1	66.2	0.1	0.3	...	...
Unemployment rate	4.3	4.4	0.1	-0.3	...	...
Employment rate	63.2	63.3	0.1	0.5	...	...
... not applicable Note: Related to CANSIM table 282-0087.