New Brunswick’s unemployment rate fell in December as the province’s economy added more than 2,000 jobs.
In its latest labour force survey released Friday, Statistics Canada said the loss of 3,500 part-time positions was offset by a gain of 5,700 full-time jobs.
That pushed the unemployment rate down 0.5 percentage points to 7.5 per cent.
Nationally, employment increased by 35,000 in December and the unemployment rate fell to 5.6 per cent.
Ontario and Quebec led the way for employment gains, followed by Manitoba and Prince Edward Island.
There were more people working in accommodation and food services and in construction, while other industries were little changed.
Labour Force Survey, December 2019: Employment increased by 35,000 (+0.2%) in December, and the unemployment rate fell 0.3 percentage points to 5.6%. https://t.co/7jLLUnDcVh #cdnecon pic.twitter.com/KlqrFv0NuD
— Statistics Canada (@StatCan_eng) January 10, 2020
Looking back at 2019 as a whole, the number of people employed in New Brunswick increased by 5,000 and the unemployment rate declined by 0.9 percentage points.
Construction and public administration were the largest contributors to employment growth since December 2018, while accommodation and food services followed a downward trend throughout the year.
Nationally, employment in Canada increased by 320,000 and the unemployment rate remained unchanged.
Employment growth was driven by the services-producing sector, while there was a decline in the goods-producing sector.
The number of employees in both the private and public sectors increased in 2019, while self-employment was little changed.
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