Canada's jobs gain in 2013 much fewer than 2012

The jobs created by the Canadian economy so far into 2013 are much fewer than that of last year, according to a survey released by Statistics Canada Friday. In its November Labor Force Survey, the agency said employment growth by far this year has averaged 13,400 per month, compared with an average of 25,400 over the same period in 2012. Although the country added 22,000 new jobs in November, which represented the largest monthly gain since August and also the third monthly growth in a row, details of the data did not suggest that the economy shifted to a higher gear in November. Among the job gains, most of them are part-time jobs, which saw an increase of 20,000. The most wanted full-time ones just edged up 1,400. Even in these part-time jobs, quiet a lot came from the less desirable self-employment category. Employers only added 2,500 full- and part-time workers. Provincially, the agency said employment only rose in Alberta; others experienced little changes, except for a decline in Newfoundland and Labrador. While the unemployment rate of the month, which still held steady at 6.9 percent, the lowest point since 2009, was down 0.3 percentage points compare to the same month last year, the participation rate fell 0.4 percentage points to 66.4 percent, as the labor force grew at a slower pace than the population, the agency said. Analysts believe the economy needs to create close to 20,000 new jobs each month just to keep up with the growth in the labor force, so the pickup this year suggests an economy that is growing, but below potential. In November, private sector added 51,000 jobs, which included employees and self-employed, while public sector lost 29,900. For industry, there are more people working in business, building and other support services, manufacturing, as well as information, culture and recreation sector, while employment in construction and public administration dropped.