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For additional information relating to this article, please contact:

Thomas StorringDirector – Economics and Statistics
Tel: 902-424-2410Email: thomas.storring@novascotia.ca

January 10, 2025
LABOUR FORCE SURVEY: VISIBLE MINORITIES, DECEMBER AND ANNUAL 2024

**NOTE - from January 24-28, 2025 Statistics Canada will be releasing revised values for labour force survey results.  The charts and analysis in this article will be revised on January 28, 2025.**

The Labour Force Survey asks respondents about whether they identify with visible minority categories (as used in the Census): White, South Asian (e.g., East Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan), Chinese, Black, Filipino, Arab, Latin American, Southeast Asian (e.g., Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Thai), West Asian (e.g., Iranian, Afghan), Korean, Other.

December 2024 (3 month moving average, unadjusted)

Nationally, the unemployment rate for those who identify as a visible minority population (8.4%) was higher than the unemployment rate (5.2%) for those that did not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population. All regions had unemployment rate higher for those who identify with a visible minority group than for those who did not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population. This gap was highest in Quebec while the lowest gaps were in British Columbia and Atlantic Canada. In Atlantic Canada, the unemployment rate was 7.9% for those that identify with a visible minority group, and 7.1% for those that did not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population.

National participation rates were higher for those who identify with a visible minority population (70.9%) than for those that did not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population (62.1%). Participation rates of those who identify with a visible minority population were higher in all regions in December. In Atlantic Canada, those who identify with a visible minority population reported a 77.9% participation rate, compared to a 58.8% participation rate for those that do not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population.

Nationally, employment rates were higher for those who identified with visible minority populations (64.9%) than for those who did not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population (58.9%). Employment rates were higher for those who identify with visible minority populations in every region when compared against those who do not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population in December. The gap between the employment rates for those who identified with visible minority populations (71.7%) and those who did not (54.6%) was highest in Atlantic Canada.

Canada's unemployment rates were generally higher across visible minority populations than for those who did not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population (exceptions: Japanese population, Fillipino women). Unemployment rates of males in specific visible minority populations were typically higher than unemployment rates among females (exceptions: South Asian, Chinese, Arab, Latin American and West Asian populations).

Labour force participation rates for those identifying with a visible minority were generally higher when compared those who do not identify as Indigenous or a visible minority (lower participation rates for Chinese populations). Participation rates were higher for men than for women among all visible minority populations (as well as  among those who neither identified as Indigenous nor in a visible minority population), except those that identified as multiple visible minorities.     

Employment rates were generally higher among visible minority populations than among those who identified neither as Indigenous nor as a visible minority (exception: Chinese populations). Men reported higher employment rates than women in all visible minority populations (except those that identified as multiple visible minorities), as was also the case among populations that did not identify as Indigenous or a visible minority.

Unemployment rates in Canada were higher for all age cohorts of visible minority populations, when compared with those that do not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population. The largest gap was for youth (aged 15-24).

Participation rates of visible minority populations were higher for older workers, compared to the same age cohort that does not identify as Indigenous or visible minority populations. Among youth and core aged workers, participation rates among visible minority populations were lower than among similarly aged populations that do not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population.

With lower participation and higher unemployment rates, employment rates were lower for visible minority youth and core aged populations than for those who do not identify as Indigenous or a visible minority population. With stronger participation rates (and despite higher unemployment rates), the employment rate of older visible minority populations was higher than older Canadians who do not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population.

Trends

For the last 19 months, Atlantic Canada unemployment rates for visible minority populations have been higher than for those who identified as neither Indigenous nor in a visible minority population. This reverses the pattern observed through much of 2022 and early 2023.

Participation and employment rates for visible minority populations in Atlantic Canada are consistently higher than those that identified neither as Indigenous nor in a visible minority population. 

Annual (2024)

Unemployment rates for visible minority populations increased in Canada as well as in all regions. The largest increases in visible minority unemployment rates were observed in Québec and Alberta.

Unemployment rates for populations that identified as neither Indigenous nor a visible minority increased in Canada as well as all regions. Unemployment rates for persons that identified as neither Indigenous nor a visible minority were up most in Ontario. 

Participation rates for visible minority populations were up across Canada in 2024, reflecting increases in all regions except slight declines in Alberta and British Columbia.  

Participation rates for population that identified as neither Indigenous nor a visible minority slightly declined across Canada, reflecting declines in all regions.  

With rising unemployment rates offsetting higher participation rates, Canada's employment rate for visible minority populations edged down to 65.2% in 2024. There were declines among all regions, except in Atlantic Canada.  

National employment rates for those that identified as neither Indigenous nor in a visible minority population declined to 59.4% in 2024. Employment rates for those that identified as neither Indigenous nor in a visible minority population were down in in all regions in 2024.  

Unemployment rates for most visible minority populations in Atlantic Canada were generally higher than the averages for the same groups across the country (as well as among those that identified as neither Indigenous nor in a visible minority population). There were exceptions with lower unemployment rates in Atlantic Canada among Black, Southeast Asian, West Asian and those that idintify as multiple visible minorites.  

Note that for some suppressed data, the unemployment rate is calculated as 1-(employment rate)/(participation rate).

Participation rates for visible minority groups in Atlantic Canada in 2024 were higher than the national average for most visible minorities. Participation rates among Atlantic Canada's population that identified as Arab, Korean, other visible minorities as well as those not in a visible minority group had lower participation rates in 2024.

Atlantic Canada employment rates for those that identified as a visible minority were mostly higher than the national averages for similar populations. Employment was lower than the national average for Arab, Korean, other visible minorites, and those that identified as neither Indigenous nor in a visible minority population

In national data on employment by industry, visible minority employment was disproportionately concentrated in accommodation/food service, health/social/daycare, professional/technical services, finance/insurance/real estate, transportation, and manufacturing. Visible minority employment was notably less concentrated in agriculture/natural resources/utilities.

By occupation, visible minority populations were disproportionately concentrated in sales/services, health and natural/applied sciences. Visible minority populations were disproportionately under-represented in management, education/law/community/government services, trades/transport/equipment operators and natural resources/agriculture occupations.

Source: Statistics Canada. Table 14-10-0373-01  Labour force characteristics by visible minority group, three-month moving averages, monthly, unadjusted for seasonalityTable 14-10-0440-01  Labour force characteristics by visible minority group, annualTable 14-10-0438-01  Employment characteristics by visible minority group, annual



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