The Economics and Statistics Division maintains archives of previous publications for accountability purposes, but makes no updates to keep these documents current with the latest data revisions from Statistics Canada. As a result, information in older documents may not be accurate. Please exercise caution when referring to older documents. For the latest information and historical data, please contact the individual listed to the right.
<--- Return to Archive
For additional information relating to this article, please contact:
August 03, 2018US EMPLOYMENT, JULY 2018 The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports today that US non-farm payroll employment increased by 157,000 in July. Results for June were revised to show a stronger gain of 248,000. After two strong months in May and June, the July employment gain was slower than the average pace set over the previous 12 months.
US employment gains in July were reported for the following sectors: professional/business services (+51,000), manufacturing (+37,000), health care (+34,000), food services (+26,000) and construction (+19,000). There was little change in the other major sectors of the economy: mining, retail, wholesale, transportation, information, finance, and government.
The US unemployment rate edged down from 4.0 per cent in June to 3.9 per cent in July. Unemployment rates across most advanced economies (including Canada and Nova Scotia) are declining to levels below long run averages.
The US participation rate was little changed at 62.9 per cent in July. Unlike unemployment rates, the US participation rate has failed to return to pre-recession levels and has only increased modestly since bottoming out in 2015.
Participation rates in Canada and Nova Scotia also declined in the years after the global financial crises, with further declines observed over the start of 2018.
The US employment to population ratio was edged up to 60.5 per cent in July, continuing a very gradual upward trend since the middle of 2013.
Employment rates in Canada trended up in 2016 and 2017, but remained below levels observed in 2008. With an aging population and declining labour supply, Nova Scotia's employment rates have trended down since 2012. While there has been some recovery in recent months, the Nova Scotia employment rate declined to 56.7 per cent in June.
Note: Canadian and US labour force statistics refer to different working-age cohorts.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Statistics Canada Table 14-10-0287-02
<--- Return to Archive
