October 9, 2020
Provincial Labour Market Gains 15,100 Jobs in September
– – –Manitoba Ranks First in Private-Sector Job Recovery and Total Employment Across Canada: Fielding
The latest economic indicators from Statistics Canada show a strong September in which Manitoba’s employment gained 15,100 jobs compared to August, Finance Minister Scott Fielding announced today.
“Manitoba leads the country in getting back to pre-pandemic workforce levels and ranks first in Canada in total employment and private-sector job recovery since February,” said Fielding. “September saw a sharp increase in our labour force as many parents, educators and child-care workers headed back to work.”
Manitoba’s labour force, the number of individuals employed or actively seeking employment, climbed by 8,500 people to 701,600, a 1.2 per cent increase and above the 0.8 per cent national average. Total employment is now 0.3 per cent higher than the pre-pandemic level of 699,500 in February.
Total jobs increased by 2.4 per cent to 652,300, within 1.8 per cent of pre-COVID levels. Service-producing sector jobs, such as child-care workers and education support staff, increased by 12,300 in September, while goods-producing sector jobs increased by 2,800.
Fielding noted Manitoba’s recovery is broad based, with six sectors each experiencing an increase of more than 2,200 jobs in the last month. This includes the transportation and warehousing, health care and social assistance, education services and construction sectors.
Full-time employment was up 10,800, a 2.1 per cent increase. Manitoba saw a 3.3 per cent jump in part-time employment to 4,300, well above the national average of 1.3 per cent. As a result, the provincial unemployment rate edged down to seven per cent, the second lowest among provinces. The national rate is nine per cent.
Of note, the unemployment rate for women in Manitoba was lower than the rate for men for the third month in a row, which the minister noted is encouraging as the female labour force participation rate rose throughout the summer. This includes a 1.6 per cent further increase in September, catching up to the male rate, which rebounded earlier in the spring.
Private-sector employment, including self-employment, increased by 8,800, a 1.8 per cent gain from August. Public-sector jobs went up by 6,300 to 167,300, only slightly lower than February by 0.4 per cent.
Youth unemployment decreased by 1.5 percentage points to 14.1 per cent. The minister noted since March, the province has helped create 7,900 student and youth jobs through programs such as the Summer Student Recovery Jobs Program, Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP), the Green Team and Student Jobs MB app.
“Manitoba has created some of the country’s most effective economic development and employment support programs to help Manitobans recover from this challenging time,” said Fielding. “Through our various #RestartMB programs, we’ve supported the creation of nearly 21,500 jobs and helped more than 9,300 businesses through the Manitoba Gap Protection Plan.”
For more information on labour force statistics, visit www.gov.mb.ca/mbs/moreinfo.html?id=3.
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