December Labour Force SurveyThe December 2020 Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada painted a grim picture as workers experienced a net loss of 63,000 jobs. Statscan said an additional 42,000 people dropped out of the workforce altogether with "core-aged women and male youth" being "largely responsible for the fall." "The monthly drop in self-employment more than offset the increase seen over the previous two months and brought the number of self-employed workers to its lowest point since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, or 6.8 per cent (-198,000) lower than in February. In contrast, the number of private-sector employees was 4.1 per cent (-512,000) lower than in February while public sector employment was 1.9 per cent (+73,000) higher . On a year-over-year basis, self-employment was down by 192,000 (-6.6 per cent) in December, with the largest declines in construction; transportation and warehousing; and health care and social assistance (not seasonally adjusted). The bulk of the decline was among core-aged workers, mostly men (not seasonally adjusted)," Statscan reports. "The number of active businesses in September was 7.2 per cent lower than in February 2020," it adds. Of note is that total hours worked in December fell for the first time since April 2020, declining 0.3 per cent. Statscan says, "This decline was driven by losses in the accommodation and food services, and the 'other services' industries (which include personal and laundry services). Smaller declines were observed in business, building and other support services, and natural resources. [...] In December, total hours worked were 5.3 per cent below February levels, with hours lost by self-employed workers accounting for over two-fifths (44.3 per cent) of the overall decline." (statcan.gc.ca)
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