Employment was little changed in February (+15,000). The unemployment rate declined by 0.1 percentage points to 5.8%.

On a year-over-year basis, employment grew by 283,000 or 1.5%. All of this increase was attributable to gains in full-time work (+283,000 or +1.9%), while part-time employment was unchanged. Over the same period, hours worked rose by 3.2%.

In February, employment increased for both men and women in the core working age group (25 to 54), while there was little change for youth aged 15 to 24 and for people aged 55 and older.

Employment increased in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, while it decreased in Saskatchewan. There was little change in the other provinces.

Employment gains were observed in several industries, led by health care and social assistance. At the same time, employment declined in a number of other industries, including wholesale and retail trade, and manufacturing.

The number of employees increased in the public sector, while it held steady in the private sector. The number of self-employed workers decreased.