Employment in Newfoundland and Labrador was 233,000 persons in March 2024, an increase of 7,900 persons, or 3.5%, compared to March 2023. Actual hours worked increased by 9.3% compared to March 2023.
The labour force in Newfoundland and Labrador increased by 8,400 persons, or 3.3%, in March 2024 compared with March 2023, due to an increase in the source population and an increase in the participation rate. The source population increased by 6,800 persons, or 1.5%, and the participation rate increased by 1.0 percentage points to 57.4%.
Employment gains were reported in both full-time employment and part-time employment in March 2024. Full-time employment increased by 7,800 persons (+4.1%) and part-time employment increased by 100 persons (+0.3%) when compared to March 2023.
On a gender basis, employment gains were reported in both female employment and male employment in March 2024. Female employment increased by 4,100 persons (+3.6%) and male employment increased by 3,800 persons (+3.4%) when compared to March 2023.
On an industry basis, employment in the services-producing sector increased by 7,600 persons (+4.2%) and employment in the goods-producing sector increased by 300 persons (+0.7%) in March 2024, relative to March 2023. Within the services-producing sector, the largest employment gains were recorded in ‘Educational services’ (+2,700 persons), ‘Wholesale and retail trade’ (+2,400 persons), and ‘Business, building and other support services’ (+1,400 persons). The largest employment losses were in ‘Accommodation and food services’ (-700 persons), ‘Public administration’ (-600 persons) and ‘Health care and social assistance’ (-500 persons). Within the goods-producing sector, the largest employment gain was in ‘Forestry, fishing, mining, oil and gas’ (+1,500 persons). The largest employment declines were recorded in ‘Manufacturing’ (-1,000 persons) and ‘Utilities’ (-700 persons).
Employment increased in all provinces in March 2024, when compared to March 2023. Employment gains ranged from 0.6% in Quebec to 5.7% in Prince Edward Island. For Canada as a whole, employment increased 1.7%.
On a year-to-date basis, employment in Newfoundland and Labrador averaged 232,800 in the January to March 2024 period, an increase of 4.1% compared to the same period in 2023. The unemployment rate averaged 11.9%, a decrease of 0.4 percentage points from January to March.
| Labour Force Characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador March |
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|
Indicator
|
2023
|
2024
|
Change
|
| Labour Force (000s) | 255.7 | 264.1 | 3.3% |
| Employment (000s) | 225.1 | 233.0 | 3.5% |
| Unemployment (000s) | 30.6 | 31.1 | 1.6% |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 12.0 | 11.8 | -0.2 ppts |
| Participation Rate (%) | 56.4 | 57.4 | 1.0 ppts |
| Employment Rate (%) | 49.7 | 50.7 | 1.0 ppts |
| ppts: percentage point change Percent and actual changes based on unrounded monthly averages Source: Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey; Economics Division, Department of Finance |
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Glossary terms:
Labour Force | Employed | Unemployed | Unemployment Rate | Participation Rate | Employment Rate
Statistical Reference: Statistics used in this analysis were current at the time of writing. For the latest in employment statistics visit the Newfoundland & Labrador Statistics Agency site and the release dates on the Statistics Canada site.