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April 07, 2017US EMPLOYMENT, MARCH 2017 US non-farm employment rose +98,000 in March, less than half of the revised gains of 219,000 reported in February. Over the previous 12 months, employment increased by an average of +193,000 per month.
Professional/business services (+56,000) posted the strongest employment gains while mining (+11,000), health care (+14,000), finance (+9,000) and construction (+6,000) reported modest increases. There was a decline of 30,000 jobs in March in retail trade. Employment was little changed in manufacturing, wholesale, transportation, information, leisure/hospitality and government sectors.
The US civilian labour force increased 145,000 in March. Rising employment outside the non-farm payroll employment categories pushed the US unemployment rate down to 4.5 per cent.
In comparison, the NS unemployment rate for March was 8.6 per cent while Canada's was 6.7 per cent. Although monthly unemployment rates are more variable in Nova Scotia (smaller sample size) the long run average of NS unemployment rates is typically higher than the US, except during the 2009 recession.
The US employment rate continued its slow upward trend in March reaching 60.1 per cent. This is higher than the NS March employment rate of 57 per cent, which as experienced some months of volatility. In comparison, the national employment rate in Canada has been rising since the middle of 2016.
The US participation rate was stable in March at 63.0 per cent. The NS participation rate in the labour force has been volatile in recent months, rising to 62.4 per cent in March. Canada's labour force participation rates have been stable at just under 66 per cent since 2015.
Note: NS and US labour force statistics refer to different working-age cohorts.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Statistics Canada CANSIM table 282-0087
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