Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
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Work — Unemployment Rate
Relevance
Unemployment is a difficult experience for many Canadians. In addition to the loss of work and income, unemployment can bring varying hardships for individuals and their families.
Summary
- National Picture — The unemployment rate in 2009 was 8.3%. This was an increase of 2.2 percentage points over the 2008 rate of 6.1%. The 2009 unemployment rate was the highest rate of unemployment in the last decade.
- Gender — In 2009, the unemployment rate was 9.4% for men and 7.0% for women.
- Age — By age group in 2009, the unemployment rate ranged from 15.3% for youth aged 15 to 24, to 4.3% for individuals 65 years of age and over.
- Lone Parents, Recent Immigrants, Aboriginal People, and People with Disabilities — In 2006, the unemployment rate among some groups of the Canadian population was significantly higher than the Canadian average which at that time was 6.3%. For example, the rate was 12.3% for recent immigrants and 14.8% for Aboriginal people.
- Regions — The unemployment rate varied from 15.5% in Newfoundland and Labrador to 4.8% in Saskatchewan in 2009.
- International Picture — In 2009, among G7 countries, the Canada's unemployment rate was the same as the OECD average of 8.3.
National Picture
In 2009, the unemployment rate was 8.3 %. Between 1976 and 2009, the unemployment rate reached its highest levels in 1983 (12.0%) and 1993 (11.4%), following two major recessions in Canada. In 2007, Canada recorded its lowest unemployment rate (6.0%) since the mid-1970s.
Source: Statistics Canada. Labour Force Historical Review 2009 (Table 086). Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2010 (Cat. No. 71F0004XVB).
| 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.1 | 8.0 | 8.4 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 11.0 | 12.0 | 11.3 | 10.5 | 9.6 | 8.8 | 7.8 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 10.3 | 11.2 | 11.4 | 10.4 | 9.5 | 9.6 | 9.1 | 8.3 | 7.6 | 6.8 | 7.2 | 7.7 | 7.6 | 7.2 | 6.8 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 8.3 |
Gender
From the mid-1970s to the late 1980s, the unemployment rate for men was usually lower than that for women. However since 1990, this trend has reversed and the unemployment rate for women has been consistently lower than that of their male counterparts. In 2009, the unemployment rate for women was 7.0%, while that for men was 9.4%.
Source: Statistics Canada. Labour Force Historical Review 2009 (Table 086). Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2010 (Cat. No. 71F0004XVB).
| 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 6.4 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 7.2 | 11.2 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.5 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 8.2 | 10.8 | 12.0 | 11.9 | 10.9 | 9.8 | 9.9 | 9.3 | 8.5 | 7.8 | 6.9 | 7.5 | 8.1 | 7.9 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 6.4 | 6.6 | 9.4 |
| Women | 8.2 | 9.2 | 9.5 | 8.7 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 10.7 | 11.6 | 11.3 | 10.6 | 9.8 | 9.2 | 8.2 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 9.7 | 10.2 | 10.7 | 9.8 | 9.1 | 9.3 | 8.9 | 8.0 | 7.3 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 6.1 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 7.0 |
Age
Unemployment generally decreases with age. In 2009, the unemployment rate ranged from 15.3% for youth aged 15 to 24 to 4.3% for individuals 65 years of age and over who were in the labour force.
Source: Statistics Canada. Labour Force Historical Review 2009 (Table 086). Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2010 (Cat. No. 71F0004XVB).
| 15-24 years | 25-54 years | 55-64 years | 65+ years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15.3 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 4.3 |
Lone Parents, Recent Immigrants, Aboriginal People, and People with Disabilities
In 2006, the unemployment rate for Aboriginal people was 14.8%, approximately 8.5 percentage points higher than the national average of 6.3%. People with disabilities (8.6%), lone parents (8.1%), and recent immigrants (12.3%) also experienced higher than average unemployment rates.
Source: Data for lone parents, recent immigrants and Aboriginal people, HRSDC calculations based on Statistics Canada. Census 2006 data (not published); and for people with disabilities, Statistics Canada. Education, Employment and Income of Adults with and Without Disabilities - Tables. Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2009 (Cat No. 89-587-XIE).
| Canadian average | Lone parents | People with disabilities | Recent immigrants | Aboriginal people |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.3 | 8.1 | 8.6 | 12.3 | 14.8 |
Regions
In 2009, Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest unemployment rate in the country at 15.5%, 7.2 percentage points higher than the national average of 8.3%. The provinces with the next highest unemployment rates were Prince Edward Island at 12.0% and Nova Scotia at 9.2%. Saskatchewan had the lowest unemployment rate in 2009 at 4.8%, followed by Manitoba at 5.2% and Alberta at 6.6%.
Source: Statistics Canada. Labour Force Historical Review 2009 (Table 086). Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 2010 (Cat. No. 71F0004XVB).
| CAN | NL | PE | NS | NB | QC | ON | MB | SK | AB | BC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.3 | 15.5 | 12.0 | 9.2 | 8.9 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 5.2 | 4.8 | 6.6 | 7.6 |
International Picture
Compared to other G7 countries in 2009, Canada's unemployment rate was at 8.3%, the same rate as the overall OECD average for 30 countries. The United States (9.3%), and France (9.5%) had higher rates than Canada. Japan (5.1%), Germany (7.5), the United Kingdom (7.6%), and Italy (7.8%) had lower rates.
Source: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). OECD Employment Outlook 2010, Statistical Annex, Table A: Harmonised unemployment rates in OECD countries. OECD Statistics. Available from: http://www.oecd.org [cited July, 2010].
| Japan | Germany | United Kingdom | Italy | Canada | OECD-30 | United States | France |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 7.8 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 9.3 | 9.5 |
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