December 2024 Labour Force Survey: Canadian Employment Rises by 91,000

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Statistics Canada’s newest Labour Force Survey reports that Canadian employment rose by 91,000 (a 0.4 per cent gain) in December, while the unemployment rate fell by 0.1 per cent to 6.7 per cent.

The 91,000 increase was primarily in full-time work (56,000 – a 0.3 per cent gain) and follows a similar increase in November (51,000), marking the third employment gain during the past four months.

Statistics Canada also reported that 376,000 more people were working in December 2024 compared with January 2024 – a gain of nearly 2.0 per cent. This year-over-year growth was not only comparable to December 2023 (when the agency reported a 2.1 per cent year-over-year gain), but the average December growth rate during the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period between 2017 and 2019 (1.9 per cent).

Canada’s December 2024 job growth was driven by the public sector, which added 40,000 jobs (a 0.9 per cent gain), its second consecutive monthly increase. Canadian private sector employment was little changed, adding 27,000 jobs in December (a 0.2 per cent gain), though it was up 191,000 (a gain of 1.4 per cent) year-over-year.

The financial sector was a key contributor to December’s growth, with 16,000 new finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing jobs added to the Canadian economy, a gain of 1.1 per cent over November 2024.

Other industries that reported significant job gains in December 2024, according to Statistics Canada, include:

Educational services: 17,000 jobs added (1.1 per cent gain)

Transportation and warehousing: 17,000 jobs added (1.6 per cent gain)

Health care and social assistance: 16,000 jobs added (0.5 per cent gain)

Other industries saw contraction last month, notably the following:

Professional, scientific and technical services: 11,200 jobs lost (0.6 per cent loss)

Natural resources: 7,400 jobs lost (2.2 per cent loss)

Public administration: 2,700 jobs lost (0.2 per cent loss)

Statistics Canada’s December Labour Force Survey reported that Canada’s national unemployment rate was 6.7 per cent last month, a drop of 0.1 per cent from November.

However, the unemployment rates for skilled professionals, including the specializations supported by Robert Half Canada’s staffing experts, continue to be well below the national average. Most occupations reported gains, indicating a tight market for the organizations that employ them:

Management occupations, which includes marketing and creative roles: 1.8 per cent (0.3 per cent gain)

Business, finance and administration occupations, which includes finance and accounting, HR, and administration and customer service roles: 2.7 per cent (0.3 per cent gain)

Natural and applied sciences and related occupations, which includes technology roles: 3.6 per cent (0.4 per cent gain)

Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services, which includes legal roles: 1.8 per cent (unchanged from November 2024)

On a provincial basis, Statistics Canada reported significantly higher employment in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia, while Manitoba and New Brunswick dropped slightly:

Alberta: 35,200 jobs added (1.4 per cent gain)

Ontario: 23,400 jobs added (0.3 per cent gain)

Quebec: 14,400 jobs added (0.3 per cent gain)

British Columbia: 14,100 jobs added (0.5 per cent gain)

Nova Scotia: 7,400 jobs added (1.4 per cent gain)

Saskatchewan: 4,000 jobs added (0.7 per cent gain)

Newfoundland and Labrador: 1,100 jobs added (0.5 per cent gain)

Prince Edward Island: 300 jobs added (0.3 per cent gain)

Manitoba: 7,200 jobs lost (1.0 per cent loss)

New Brunswick: 1,800 jobs lost (0.4 per cent loss)

These numbers align with Robert Half’s recent State of Canadian Hiring Survey, which found that nearly half – 46 per cent – of Canadian companies plan to add new permanent positions in the first half of 2025, while another 49 per cent plan to fill vacated positions and 54 per cent are increasing the number of contract professionals they enlist to support new projects during the same period.

Among hiring managers who plan to increase headcount, nearly half (47 per cent) cited company growth as the primary factor, while employee turnover rates (44 per cent), and new projects (41 per cent) were also identified as key factors.

Meanwhile, according to the 2025 Canada Salary Guide From Robert Half, confidence among Canadian workers has been rising to levels unseen since early 2023. However, just over half – 51 per cent – feel underpaid, and one third said they’ll look for a new role if their employer does not raise their salary this year.

For organizations seeking to hire these skilled professionals, the message is clear: Competition for top talent remains fierce and is likely to continue throughout the year. That’s why companies are responding by offering hybrid jobs (39 per cent), flexible work schedules (37 per cent), increasing starting salaries (32 per cent), and adding new perks and benefits (30 per cent).

The 2025 Canada Salary Guide From Robert Half covers Canadian hiring and compensation trends across six professional fields: finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, and human resources.

Our annual guide features exclusive data and input from surveys of thousands of Canadian workers and hiring managers, along with salary information for professionals we’ve matched with employers across the country.

Whether you’re launching a job search, actively hiring talent or developing a staffing strategy for your business, there’s no better source of insights into today’s salary and hiring trends than the 2025 Canada Salary Guide From Robert Half.

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