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April 05, 2019US EMPLOYMENT, MARCH 2019 The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports today that US non-farm payroll employment increased by 196,000 in March. There were upward revisions to the January and February employment results, combining for employment gains of 14,000 more than earlier estimates. March's employment increase was below the average for the previous 12 months that saw average monthly increases of 210,000.
Employment gains were concentrated in health care (+49,000), professional and technical services (+34,000) and food services and drinking places (+27,000), with a smaller gain in construction (+16,000). Employment was little changed manufacturing, mining, wholesale and retail trade, transportation and warehousing, information, financial activities, and government on the month.
The US unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.8 per cent in March. Unemployment rates across most advanced economies (including Canada and Nova Scotia) are at levels below long run averages.
The US participation rate declined by 0.2 percentage points to 63.0 per cent in March. Unlike unemployment rates, the US participation rate has failed to return to pre-recession levels and has only increased modestly since bottoming out in 2015, with fluctuations around a narrow range since the start of 2016. Participation rates in Canada and Nova Scotia also declined in the years after the global financial crises. Canada's participation rate has been increasing in recent months, but edged down to 65.7 per cent in March.
The US employment to population ratio edged down to 60.6 per cent in March. The US employment rate has maintained a very gradual upward trend since the middle of 2013.
Employment rates in Canada trended up in 2016 and 2017 but remained below levels observed in 2008. Since the summer of 2018, the national employment rate has re-established an upward trend. In March, Canada's employment was 61.9 per cent. With an aging population and declining labour supply, Nova Scotia's employment rates trended down over 2012 to 2016 period. Improvement since late 2017 and a sharp rise in recent months has left Nova Scotia’s employment rate at 58.0 per cent in March 2019.
Note: Canadian and US labour force statistics refer to different working-age cohorts.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Statistics Canada Table 14-10-0287-02
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