Canada adds 91,000 jobs in December, with falling unemployment rates

Statistics Canada reports that the country added 91,000 jobs in December while also saying unemployment rates decreased.

The agency’s labour force survey Friday says the unemployment rate dropped by 0.1 percentage points to 6.7 per cent.

It says the education, transportation and finance sectors saw the largest gains in employment and the public sector added 40,000 jobs.

Full-time employment is reported to have risen by 56,000.

The employment rate, representing the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who are employed, increased by 0.2 percentage points to 60.8 percent in December. The first increase since January 2023.

The agency attributes the growth to a slowing population growth.

Self-employment rose by 64,000 jobs in 2024, which is still down from 100,000 jobs since February 2020.

The report notes that around 700,000 Canadians did paid work through a digital platform in 2024, representing one component of the gig economy.

– With files from The Canadian Press

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