Montréal, March 6, 2020. – Québec recorded an increase of 20,000 jobs (+0.5%) in February 2020 from January 2020. The unemployment rate fell 0.6 percentage points in February to 4.5%, its lowest level since 1976. These are the main highlights of the employment and labour force data based on the results of Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey1 released today.
Full-time employment increased by 13,900 and part-time employment by 6,100. Employment was up in the private sector (+20,500), while there is little change in the public sector (+1,300) and among the self-employed (-1,800). The participation rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 64.7%, while the employment rate increased (+0.2 points) to 61.8% in February.
In Canada, employment rose by 30,300 (+0.2%) in February. The unemployment rate edged up 0.1 percentage points to 5.6%. Québec (+20,000) and Alberta (+11,400) posted the strongest employment gains.
In the first two months of 2020, employment increased by 63,200 in Québec compared with the same period in 2019. During this period, full-time employment increased by 70,900, while part-time employment declined by 7,700. Since the beginning of 2020, the unemployment rate in Québec has averaged 4.8% (Canada: 5.6%).
Changes in employment and trend-cycle data, Québec, February 2019 to February 2020
Note: Trend-cycle data are a smoothed version of seasonally adjusted data where the effects of irregular movements have been reduced. They are helpful in analyzing long-term changes in the data. For more information: Statistics Canada, Trend-cycle estimates – Frequently asked questions.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, 2020. Adapted by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
Changes in the unemployment rate, Québec, February 2019 to February 2020
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, 2020. Adapted by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
1. Every month, the Institut de la statistique du Québec publishes the Résultats de l’Enquête sur la population active pour le Québec based on data released by Statistics Canada. This document is available on the Institut’s website at 2 p.m. The monthly estimates taken from the Labour Force Survey are based on a sample and are thus subject to a greater variability than trends observed over longer periods of time, particularly when these estimates are broken down by subcategory such as sex, age, region or industry.
The Institut de la statistique du Québec produces, analyzes and disseminates official, objective and quality statistical information on various aspects of Québec society. It is responsible for conducting all statistical surveys of general interest. The relevance of its work makes it a strategic ally for decision makers and all those wishing to learn more about Québec.