Job creation beat expectations in January (ID 31195527 © Endostock | Dreamstime.com)

By The Canadian Press

Economy

Canada added 76,000 jobs in January as unemployment fell to 6.6 per cent

Feb 7, 2025 | 9:38 AM

Canada’s labour market added 76,000 jobs in January, beating economist expectations.

Statistics Canada’s labour force survey on Friday also said the unemployment rate ticked down 0.1 percentage points to 6.6 per cent.

It’s the second consecutive monthly decline, following a recent peak in November of 6.9 per cent.

Alberta’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.7 per cent.

The manufacturing sector carried the largest employment gains, adding 33,000 jobs a third of those coming from Ontario alone.

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The public sector lost 8,400 jobs in January.

Wage growth also continued to decelerate, with hourly rates up 3.5 per cent year-over-year the slowest pace of growth since April 2022.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2025.