Jobless rate reaches 6.8% in November, highest since January 2017 outside of pandemic

By Nojoud Al Mallees, The Canadian Press on December 6, 2024.

OTTAWA – Canada’s unemployment rate jumped to 6.8 per cent last month, up from 6.5 per cent in October, as more people looked for work.

Statistics Canada’s November labour force survey says the jobless rate last month reached the highest since January 2017, outside of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The economy added 51,000 jobs in November, with employment gains concentrated in full-time work.

Average hourly wages were up 4.1 per cent from a year ago, marking a slowdown in annual wage growth from October.

The jobless rate in Canada has been on an upward trend since April 2023, rising 1.7 percentage points since then.

The Bank of Canada will have its eye on today’s job report as it gears up for its interest rate announcement on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version stated the unemployment rate was the highest since January in the headline. In fact, it was the highest since January 2017 outside of the pandemic.

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