Employment in Canada fell by 1% in January according to the country’s January 2022 Labour Force Survey. The survey points to the spread of the omicron variant and resulting capacity limits and closures as the likely cause f this decline.
According to the survey young people aged 15 to 24 were most affected by employment losses continuing a pattern seen throughout the pandemic. This category saw declined of 7% in part-time and 3.5% in full-time work. Women aged 25 to 54 also saw a 4.3% fall in employment, almost entirely in part-time work.
According to the survey employment decline was entirely among private sector employees, largely due to losses in accommodation and food services and the information, culture and recreation industries.
These marked the first unemployment increases in nine months, bringing the total Canadian unemployment rate to 6.5% while the youth unemployment rate rose to 13.6%.
