Employment in Newfoundland and Labrador increased in February 2013. The number of people employed totalled 223,800 – representing an increase of 6,700 persons or 3.1% relative to February 2012.
The participation rate increased 1.0 percentage points to 60.0%. This led to a 1.7% increase in the labour force. Because the increase in employment was higher than the gain in the labour force, the unemployment rate decreased. The unemployment rate was 13.0% in February, down 1.2 percentage points from February 2012.
Employment gains were recorded in several industries, including: construction (up 3,100); other services (up 2,800); health care and social assistance (up 2,000); and transportation and warehousing (up 1,800). Employment decreased in several industries including: professional, scientific and technical services (down 2,500); and trade (down 1,500).
On a year-to-date basis (January to February), employment averaged 221,900, a 3.4% increase over the same period of 2012.
The Department of Finance’s March 2013 forecast projects employment to increase by 2.8% and the unemployment rate to average 11.5% in 2013.
| Labour Force Characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador February |
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| Indicator | 2012 | 2013 | Change |
| Labour Force (000s) | 252.9 | 257.3 | 1.7% |
| Employed (000s) | 217.1 | 223.8 | 3.1% |
| Unemployed (000s) | 35.8 | 33.4 | -6.7% |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 14.2 | 13.0 | -1.2pts |
| Participation Rate (%) | 59.0 | 60.0 | 1.0pts |
| Employment Rate (%) | 50.7 | 52.2 | 1.5pts |
| pts: percentage point change Percent and actual changes based on unrounded monthly averages Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey and Economic Research and Analysis, Department of Finance |
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Glossary terms:
Labour Force |
Employed |
Unemployed |
Unemployment Rate |
Participation Rate |
Employment Rate
Statistical Reference:
Statistics used in this analysis were current at the time of
writing. For the latest in employment statistics visit the Newfoundland & Labrador Statistics Agency
site and the release dates on the Statistics
Canada site.