Labour Force Survey Monthly
Labour Force Survey, August 2019
released September 6, 2019
Prince Edward Island Employment
| Month | Can | NL | PE | NS | NB | QC | ON | MB | SK | AB | BC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2019 | 5.7 | 13.1 | 8.9 | 7.9 | 8.6 | 4.7 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 5.1 | 7.2 | 5.0 |
| July 2019 | 5.7 | 12.8 | 8.4 | 7.4 | 8.5 | 4.9 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 7.0 | 4.4 |
| August 2018 | 6.0 | 14.1 | 9.1 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 5.5 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 5.1 |
| Year-over-Year change (pp) | -0.3 | -1.0 | -0.2 | -0.4 | 0.3 | -0.8 | -0.1 | -0.1 | -1.5 | 0.5 | -0.1 |
| Monthly change (pp) | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 | -0.2 | -0.1 | -0.2 | -0.3 | 0.2 | 0.6 |
Summary
Today’s Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey shows that P.E.I.’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.9 per cent in August 2019. This is up 0.5 percentage points from last month and down 0.2 percentage points from August 2018. Seasonally adjusted employment in August totaled 78,400, an increase of 2,200 from one year ago and down by 100 from July 2019. The annual increase was a result of an increase of 2,100 in full-time employment while part-time employment increased by 100. The number of unemployed persons on Prince Edward Island increased to 7,700, up by 500 from one month ago and up by 100 from August 2018. The labour force participation rate stood at 66.6 in August, the same rate as in August 2018. The total labour force increased by 2,300 from August 2018 to total 86,100, which is an all-time high for Prince Edward Island.
The three-month moving average unemployment rate used by the Employment Insurance program for the Charlottetown region decreased to 6.8 per cent in August, down from 6.9 per cent in July. There is no change in EI eligibility criteria in this region. The rate in the PEI region in August was 11.1 per cent, up from 10.9 per cent in July. This results in a decrease in the hours needed to qualify for EI in this region, from 525 to 490 hours and increases the minimum draw period from 21 to 23 weeks.
Nationally, employment increased by 81,000 in August, largely in part-time work. The unemployment rate remained at 5.7 per cent as there were more people looking for work. Notable employment increases occurred in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick, with little change in other provinces.
Employment gains (+)/ losses (-) between August 2018 and August 2019 occurred in the following sectors on Prince Edward Island [1] :
|
Goods-producing sector: |
+400 |
Service-providing sector: |
+1,800 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Agriculture: |
+300 |
Trade (Retail/Wholesale): |
-200 |
|
Other Primary Industries: |
-300 |
Transport & Warehousing: |
+300 |
|
Manufacturing: |
-400 |
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate: |
0 |
|
Construction: |
+800 |
Business Services: |
+200 |
|
Utilities: |
+100 |
Professional, Scientific and Technical: |
+100 |
|
|
|
Educational Services: |
-200 |
|
|
|
Health & Social Services: |
+1,500 |
|
|
|
Public Administration: |
+1,400 |
|
|
|
Information, Culture and Recreation: |
-500 |
|
|
|
Accommodation & Food services: |
-600 |
| Other Services: | -100 |
[1] Components may not sum to total due to rounding
PEI Unemployment Rate
(Seasonally Adjusted)
Notes:
- The LFS estimates for August are for the week of August 11 to 17, 2019.
- The LFS estimates are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling variability. For more information, see the Statistics Canada publication "Interpreting Monthly Changes in Employment from the Labour Force Survey."
- The next release of the LFS will be on October 11, 2019.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey Estimates, released September 6, 2019.
Related downloads for this release:
Monthly Labour Force Survey report - PDF (100KB)