Overview
- Statistics Canada reported a net gain of about 8,200 jobs in December, with full‑time employment up 50,200 and part‑time down 42,000.
- Youth aged 15 to 24 lost roughly 27,000 positions, while workers 55 and older gained about 33,000, underscoring uneven impacts by age.
- Employment gains did not keep pace with labour‑force growth in Ontario and Quebec, lifting Ontario’s unemployment rate to 7.9%.
- Job growth was led by health care and other services, as professional, scientific and technical services, utilities, and parts of hospitality declined.
- Economists said the report moderates earlier outsized gains and likely leaves the Bank of Canada on hold, as StatCan flagged 2025 trade headwinds and cautioned city three‑month averages can swing widely, with New Brunswick ending the year up 7,400 jobs and at 6.6%.