Canada’s unemployment rate reached a new record low of 5.1 per cent in May, according to Statistics Canada.
It was the third consecutive month that the unemployment rate reached a new record low in Canada.
The agency’s latest labour force survey, released Friday, said total employment rose by 40,000, or 0.2 per cent.
Figures showed full-time work increased by 135,000 while part-time employment dropped by 96,000.
“The employment increase was driven by gains in full-time work among young and core-aged women. The increase was spread across several industries, led by wholesale and retail trade, and was concentrated in Alberta,” said the survey.
Across the country, employment increased in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and Alberta. It decreased in New Brunswick and was little changed in all other provinces.
Employment in New Brunswick dropped by 3,900, partially offsetting gains in March and April. Full-time work was down by 1,600 while part-time employment dropped by 2,400. The province’s unemployment rate edged up to 7.1 per cent.
In Nova Scotia, the unemployment rate jumped to 6.7 per cent from six per cent the month before. Full-time work increased by 1,000 while part-time employment dropped by 3,100, leading to a net decrease of 2,100.
Prince Edward Island saw its employment numbers rise by 1,100 as the unemployment rate fell to 7.8 per cent from 7.1 per cent in April.
Compared to this time last year, the unemployment rate is down in all three Maritime provinces, ranging from 1.3 percentage points in Prince Edward Island to 1.8 percentage points in New Brunswick and 2.9 percentage points in Nova Scotia.
