Canada’s unemployment has reached its highest rate in almost two years, according to the Labour Force Survey released by government agency Statistics Canada on Friday.
Unemployment rose to 7.6 percent in November, a significant increase from October’s rate of 6.2%. This translates to 1,426,900 million unemployed Canadians, far more than were initially made jobless when the recession hit in 2008.
A huge decline in the number of manufacturing related jobs is thought to one of the major causes of the unemployment rise. Whilst 1 in 5 Canadians had manufacturing related employment three decades ago, that number is now 1 in 10 – the lowest rate since data began in 1976.
The Statistics Canada survey also revealed a decline in the quality of jobs available over the last year with an increase in temporary, part time and poorly paid work.
Ken Georgetti, President of the Canadian Labour Congress said, “We have a problem with both the number of jobs being created and their quality. We have to focus on creating full-time, family-supporting jobs”
He stated that Canadian workers are still being affected by the deep recession of 2008 and that employments rates would be even higher if it were not for the determination of the Canadian people to find work.
The survey’s figures also highlighted an East-West divide in the country.
The employment rate in Ontario and eastern provinces is teetering above the national average whilst in Manitoba and western provinces joblessness is well below average.
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