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:
March 06, 2020US EMPLOYMENT, FEBRUARY 2020 The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports today that US non-farm payroll employment increased by 273,000 in February. The monthly increase was faster than the average of 178,000 over the previous twelve months. Revisions to the last two months show upward revisions of 37,000 and 48,000
US employment gains in February were reported for the following sectors: health care and social assistance (+57,000), food services and drinking places (+53,000), government (+45,000), construction (+42,000), professional and technical services (+32,000), and financial activities (+26,000). There was little change in the other major sectors of the economy: mining, manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, transportation and warehousing, and information.
The US unemployment rate was down 0.1 percentage points to 3.5 per cent in February. Unemployment rates across most advanced economies (including Canada and Nova Scotia) are at levels below long run averages.
The US participation rate remained same at 63.4 per cent in February. 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, with fluctuations around a narrow range since the start of 2016.
Participation rates in Canada and Nova Scotia also declined in the years after the global financial crises.
The US employment to population ratio was down 0.1 percentage points to 61.1 per cent in February. The US employment rate has maintained 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. In February the employment rate remained same at 61.8 per cent in Canada. With an aging population and declining labour supply, Nova Scotia's employment rates have trended down since 2012. There has been some recovery since late 2017 with the Nova Scotia employment rate at 57.9 per cent in February 2020.
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
