Employment in several Canadian industries has shown signs of life, despite a slight decline overall in employment numbers for the country.

 “In recent months, a number of industries have contributed to the stabilisation in employment,” says a report issued by Statistics Canada. “A notable shift has occurred in construction, which had been on a downward trend and is up 30,000 since March.” 

Residential construction appears to be on the increase, with public sector building construction growing due to federal stimulus measures. 

The country’s overall unemployment rate remains unchanged at 8.5% since November 2009, and Statistics Canada believes that employment levels have now stabilised. Alberta has shown increases in employment numbers, as have Québec, Ontario and British Columbia. 

“In December, there were a number of offsetting changes by industry. Employment rose in health care and social assistance, as well as in professional, scientific and technical services. The largest declines were in transportation and warehousing; business, building and other support services; and public administration,” says the report.

The average hourly wage for Canadian workers rose by 2.4% in December, and “while employment in December was virtually unchanged compared with the spring of 2009, hours worked have increased 2.2% since April”.