Canada's payroll employment decreased by 17,700 or 0.1% in February, led by accommodation and food services, manufacturing, and retail trade; average weekly earnings increased 0.5% from January to C$1,232: Statistics Canada

OTTAWA , April 25, 2024 (press release) –

The number of employees receiving pay and benefits from their employer—measured as "payroll employment" in the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours—decreased by 17,700 (-0.1%) in February, following an increase of 35,700 (+0.2%) in January. On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment was up by 154,700 (+0.9%) in February.

Meanwhile, job vacancies in Canada increased to 656,700 in February, up by 21,800 (+3.4%) from January, but were little changed from December 2023.

In February 2024, monthly payroll employment decreases were recorded in 7 out of 20 sectors, led by accommodation and food services (-10,000; -0.8%), manufacturing (-9,500; -0.6%), and retail trade (-8,200; -0.4%). These declines were partially offset by gains in public administration (+6,600; +0.5%), finance and insurance (+6,400; +0.8%), health care and social assistance (+5,200; +0.2%) and real estate, rental and leasing (+900; +0.3%). The remaining nine sectors were little changed.

Chart 1: Payroll employment records a monthly decrease in February and is up on a year-over-year basis

Chart 2: Payroll employment declines in seven sectors in February

Full-service restaurants and limited-service eating places lead the overall payroll employment decline in accommodation and food services
Payroll employment in the accommodation and food services sector declined by 10,000 (-0.8%) in February, following an increase of 1,600 (+0.1%) in January and little change in December 2023. Payroll employment in this sector has generally trended down since reaching a peak in June 2023, with a total loss of 21,700 (-1.7%) from June 2023 to February 2024.

In February, the monthly decline in accommodation and food services was largely concentrated in full-service restaurants and limited-service eating places (-8,900; -0.9%).

Payroll employment in manufacturing decreases in February
Payroll employment in manufacturing fell by 9,500 (-0.6%) in February, following an increase of 1,000 (+0.1%) in January and overall little change from August to December 2023.

In February 2024, the largest monthly declines in the sector were recorded in transportation equipment manufacturing (-2,100; -1.0%), wood product manufacturing (-1,400; -1.6%) and machinery manufacturing (-1,000; -0.7%).

Retail trade records a payroll employment decline in February
Payroll employment in retail trade declined by 8,200 (-0.4%) in February, following an increase of 9,700 (+0.5%) in January and a decrease of 9,800 (-0.5%) in December 2023. Payroll employment in this sector has generally been declining since August 2023, with a total loss of 15,800 (-0.8%) from August 2023 to February 2024.

In February, the largest monthly declines in the sector were in general merchandise retailers (-2,800; -1.1%), furniture, home furnishings, electronics and appliances retailers (-2,400; -2.2%), and health and personal care retailers (-1,500; -0.7%). Sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book and miscellaneous retailers (+500; +0.2%) was the lone subsector to record a gain in February.

Payroll employment increases in public administration
In February, payroll employment in public administration rose by 6,600 (+0.5%), following an increase of 6,700 (+0.5%) in January. The gain in February in the sector was largely concentrated in local, municipal and regional public administration (+4,600; +0.9%).

Year over year, payroll employment in public administration increased by 56,500 (+4.5%) in February.

Finance and insurance records third consecutive monthly increase in payroll employment
Payroll employment in finance and insurance rose by 6,400 (+0.8%) in February, following increases in January 2024 (+5,000; +0.6%) and December 2023 (+1,700; +0.2%).

In February 2024, the largest monthly gains in the sector were recorded in credit intermediation and related activities (+3,100; +0.8%) and securities, commodity contracts, and other financial investment and related activities (+1,200; +0.9%).

Year over year, payroll employment in finance and insurance was up by 14,200 (+1.7%) in February.

Average weekly earnings increase in February for a second consecutive month
On a month-over-month basis, average weekly earnings were up 0.5% to $1,232 in February, following an increase of 0.5% in January.

On a year-over-year basis, average weekly earnings grew by 4.5% in February, following a 3.7% increase in January. Year-over-year increases in February were largest in management of companies and enterprises (+10.5% to $1,803), administrative and support, waste management and remediation services (+8.8% to $1,061) and arts, entertainment and recreation (+8.8% to $753). In general, growth in average weekly earnings can reflect a range of factors, including changes in wages, composition of employment, hours worked, and base-year effects.

Average weekly hours worked were little changed on a monthly basis but were up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis to 33.5 hours in February.

Job vacancies up in February
Overall job vacancies in Canada increased to 656,700 in February, up by 21,800 (+3.4%) from January, but were little changed from December 2023. Compared with February 2023, total job vacancies were down by 178,400 (-21.4%) in February 2024.

Total labour demand, which corresponds to the sum of filled and unfilled positions, increased by 0.5% in February compared with the previous month, but was virtually unchanged from February 2023.

The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—was little changed at 3.7% in February, but was 1.0 percentage points lower than in February 2023 (4.7%).

There were 1.9 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in February 2024, a rate that has held steady since September 2023.

In February 2024, the monthly increase in overall job vacancies was mainly driven by the increase in transportation and warehousing (+16,300; +66.4%), followed by finance and insurance (+4,100; +17.3%). Meanwhile, the only sector that recorded a decline in February was information and cultural industries (-3,900; -44.4%). The remaining 16 sectors saw little change.

On a year-over-year basis, vacant positions were down in 17 of 20 sectors, led by accommodation and food services (-36,100; -31.0%), manufacturing (-22,600; -35.5%), and retail trade (-20,900; -22.9%).

Infographic 1: Year-over-year decline in job vacancy rate in February 2024 reflects a decline in vacancies combined with a gain in payroll employment

Job vacancies up in transportation and warehousing
In February, job vacancies in transportation and warehousing increased (+16,300; +66.4%), which offset the decrease that took place in January (-15,800; -39.1%). Year over year, the number of job vacancies in transportation and warehousing decreased by 5,100 (-11.0%). The job vacancy rate in the sector was 4.7% in February, up 1.9 percentage points from January (2.8%) and down 0.5 percentage points from a year earlier (5.2%).

Job vacancies increase in finance and insurance
In finance and insurance, job vacancies were up by 4,100 (+17.3%) to 27,700 in February from the previous month, but down by 6,600 (-19.3%) from a year earlier. As a result, the job vacancy rate in the sector was 3.2% in February, up 0.5 percentage points from January.

Manufacturing and retail trade see little change in job vacancies
Job vacancies in manufacturing were little changed at 41,200 in February, following a decline of 4,000 (-9.5%) in January and a decline of 22,600 (-35.5%) from February 2023. Over the 12-month period ending in February 2024, total labour demand in this sector decreased by 0.7%, reflecting an increase in payroll employment (+0.7%) and a decrease in job vacancies (-35.5%).

The job vacancy rate in manufacturing was 2.5% in February, little changed from January, but down by 1.4 percentage points from February 2023 (3.9%).

In retail trade, the number of vacant positions was 70,200 in February 2024, little changed from the previous month, but down by 20,900 (-22.9%) compared with February 2023. The job vacancy rate in retail trade was 3.4% in February 2024, little changed from January, but down by 0.9 percentage points from a year earlier.

Vacancies hold steady in health care and social assistance
There were 128,200 job vacancies in health care and social assistance in February, representing nearly one in five (19.5%) of total job vacancies. In February, the number of vacancies was virtually unchanged from the previous month, but down by 11,400 (-8.2%) on a year-over-year basis. Meanwhile, the year-over-year increase (+3.3%) in labour demand in the sector reflects an increase in payroll employment (+4.1%) and a decline in job vacancies by 11,400 (-8.2%) over this period.

The job vacancy rate in the sector was 5.2% in February, down by 0.6 percentage points from the same month a year earlier (5.8%). This is the second-highest job vacancy rate of any sector, following accommodation and food services (5.7%).

Job vacancies rise in Ontario and Alberta
In Ontario, the number of vacant positions increased by 18,200 (+8.4%) to 234,900 in February. Alberta also saw an increase in vacancies of 9,900 (+13.7%) to 82,500 in February. Vacancies were little changed in the remaining provinces.

On a year-over-year basis, the job vacancy rate decreased in nine provinces in February and was little changed in Newfoundland and Labrador. The provinces with the largest year-over-year declines in February were Prince Edward Island (-1.8 percentage points to 3.0%) and Quebec (-1.4 percentage points to 3.8%).

British Columbia (4.3%) continues to have the highest job vacancy rate, followed by Saskatchewan (4.0%), while Prince Edward Island (3.0%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (2.9%) recorded the lowest.

Chart 3: British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Quebec continue to have the highest job vacancy rates in February

Note to readers
Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours
The key objective of the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH) is to provide a monthly portrait of the level of earnings, employment and hours worked, by detailed industry, at the national, provincial and territorial levels.

Payroll employment, as measured by the SEPH, refers to the number of employees receiving pay and benefits (employment income) during a given month. The survey excludes the self-employed, owners and partners of unincorporated businesses and professional practices, and employees in the agricultural sector.

SEPH estimates are produced by integrating information from three sources: a census of approximately 1 million payroll deduction records provided by the Canada Revenue Agency; the Business Payrolls Survey, which collects data from a sample of 15,000 establishments; and administrative records of federal, provincial and territorial public administration employment, provided by these levels of government.

Estimates of average weekly earnings and hours worked are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling variability. This analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 68% confidence level. Payroll employment estimates are based on a census of administrative data and are not subject to sampling variability.

With each release of SEPH data, data for the preceding month are revised. Users are encouraged to use the most up-to-date data available for each month.

Statistics Canada also produces employment estimates from its Labour Force Survey (LFS). The LFS is a monthly household survey, the main objective of which is to divide the working-age population into three mutually exclusive groups: the employed (including the self-employed), the unemployed and those not in the labour force. This survey is the official source for the unemployment rate, and it collects data on the sociodemographic characteristics of all those in the labour market.

As a result of conceptual and methodological differences, estimates of changes in the SEPH and the LFS differ occasionally. However, the trends in the data are similar. For a more in-depth discussion of the conceptual differences between employment measures from the LFS and the SEPH, refer to Section 8 of the Guide to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (Catalogue number72-203-G).

Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted data, which facilitate comparisons because the effects of seasonal variations are removed. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.

Non-farm payroll employment data are for all hourly and salaried employees and for the "other employees" category, which includes piece-rate and commission-only employees.

Unless otherwise specified, average weekly hours data are for hourly and salaried employees only and exclude businesses that could not be classified to a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2022 version 1.0 code.

All earnings data include overtime and exclude businesses that could not be classified to a NAICS code. Earnings data are based on gross taxable payroll before source deductions. Average weekly earnings are derived by dividing total weekly earnings by the number of employees. Changes in average weekly earnings can reflect a range of factors, including changes in wages, composition of employment, hours worked and base-year effects.

Base-year effect refers to the impact that trends from 12 months earlier (base month) have on the current month's estimate of year-over-year change. In the case of SEPH, when the average weekly earnings in the base month is at the peak of a short-term trend, this tends to have a downward effect on year-over-year average weekly earnings growth in the current month. In contrast, if the value of the base month is at a low point of a trend, this tends to have an upward effect on the current month's year-over-year growth in average weekly earnings.

Job Vacancy and Wage Survey
Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (JVWS) collection is done on a quarterly basis. The quarterly sample of business locations is allocated to the three collection months of the quarter, approximately balanced by province and by industrial sector across each of the three months. This allows both quarterly and monthly estimates to be produced.

Preliminary monthly estimates are produced for job vacancies, job vacancy rates and payroll employment using available responses from business locations sampled in the corresponding reference month. The reference period for the JVWS is the first day of the respective month.

These preliminary monthly estimates are revised and finalized when the corresponding quarterly estimates are released or shortly thereafter. Users are encouraged to use the most up-to-date data available for each month.

Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted data, which facilitate comparisons because the effects of seasonal variations are removed. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.

While JVWS employment is calibrated to the SEPH, SEPH payroll employment and JVWS preliminary monthly employment figures may differ because of calibration grouping and differences in scope and reference period.

The JVWS also provides comprehensive quarterly data on job vacancies by industrial sector and detailed occupation for Canada and the provinces, territories and economic regions; offered hourly wages; and job vacancy characteristics. More information about the concepts and use of data from the JVWS is available in the Guide to the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (Catalogue number75-514-G).

Real-time data tables
Tables 14-10-0357-01 and 14-10-0358-01 have now been archived.

Real-time data tables 14-10-0331-01 and 14-10-0332-01 will be updated on May 13.

Next release
March data for SEPH and JVWS will be released on May 30.

Products
More information about the concepts and use of the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours is available in the Guide to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (Catalogue number72-203-G).

The product "Earnings and payroll employment in brief: Interactive app" (14200001) is now available. This interactive data visualization application provides a comprehensive picture of the Canadian labour market using the most recent data from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours. The estimates are seasonally adjusted and available by province and largest industrial sector. Historical estimates that go back 10 years are also included. The interactive application allows users to explore and personalize the information presented quickly and easily. Combine multiple provinces and industrial sectors to create your own labour market domains of interest.

Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).

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