Employment numbers show many Canadians still out of a job

Employment edged up in February (+15,000), bringing total gains over the past three months to 115,000. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 7.8%. Over the past 12 months, employment has risen by 1.9% (+322,000).

Part-time employment rose by 39,000 in February, partly offset by a decline in full-time work. Over the past 12 months, part-time employment has grown by 5.1% (+166,000), while full time increased by 1.1% (+156,000).

There were small gains spread across a number of industries in February, led by health care and social assistance, and accommodation and food services. At the same time, there were declines in business, building and other support services and in public administration.

In February, the number of self-employed workers increased by 26,000, while the number of private sector employees edged down and public sector employment changed little. Over the past 12 months, however, self-employment edged down 0.6%, while the pace of growth for private sector employees matched that of the public sector (+2.4%).

You can find more details at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/subjects-sujets/labour-travail/lfs-epa/lfs-epa-eng.htm