Payroll employment finished the year on a high, ticking up in December, and outweighing the previous month’s drop in payrolls, Statistics Canada reports.
The national statistical agency said that 25,300 workers were added to payrolls in December, offsetting a drop of 14,400 in November, which occurred amid strike actions.
For the year overall, payroll employment was up by 158,000 workers, a 0.9% increase, StatCan said.
Alongside the payroll gains, the number of job vacancies jumped by 3% in December, adding 15,500 job openings, pushing the total to 536,100 “following three consecutive months of little change,” the agency reported.
Amid the increase in unfilled positions, the job vacancy rate — the share of total labour demand comprised of open jobs — ticked up to 3% in the month, from 2.9% in November.
Still, on a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down by 15.5% in December, StatCan said.
Additionally, it reported that average weekly earnings continued to rise in December. On a year-over-year basis, average weekly earnings were up 5.8% in the month, following a 5% increase in November.
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