Whitehorse Daily Star

Jobless rate fell in January: stats

The territory’s unemployment rate dropped nearly two per cent over the course of a year from January 2017 to last month.

By Whitehorse Star on February 15, 2018

The territory’s unemployment rate dropped nearly two per cent over the course of a year from January 2017 to last month.

The Yukon Bureau of Statistics released its monthly employment figures for January last Friday. They show the unemployment rate at just 2.8 per cent last month.

That compares with a 4.6 per cent unemployment rate in January 2017.

Last month’s rate is the second-lowest for the past year, the lowest being last August at 2.3 per cent.

The figures show at total of 21,100 people were employed in the territory last month, an increase of 500 people working over a year earlier, when 20,600 were working.

“There were 600 unemployed in Yukon in January 2018,” reads the release on the figures.

“This figure decreased by 400 or 40 per cent compared to January 2017 (1,000) and decreased by 200, or 25 per cent, compared to December 2017 (800).”

December’s unemployment rate in the territory was 3.7 per cent.

On a national basis, last month’s unemployment rate was 5.9 per cent, down less than a percentage point from a year earlier, when it stood at 6.7 per cent.

Comments (5)

Up 2 Down 0

Groucho d'North on Feb 19, 2018 at 6:03 pm

From the same report it also states:
In January 2018, private sector employment decreased by 200, or 1.7%, to 11,500; public sector employment increased by 200, or 2.2%, to 9,200, compared to December 2017.
In lay terms 200 people where hired away from private business by government. Remember this when somebody starts to bleat on about the economy improving. Now the business manager will need to find and attract a suitable replacement for the staff member who they trained and educated into the position they occupied in the private sector. That same person who served a number of customers. But now because the private business can't compete with union negotiated wages and benefits that government pays to do the same work, so now that employee is only serving ONE customer- government. They could contract the work to the same guy working in his previous employer and help others who need his or her talents and services. Its about the whole economy- not just the part government thinks it plays.

Up 0 Down 2

Wilfie on Feb 17, 2018 at 8:30 pm

These numbers are certainly superior to anything the "Yukon Party" ever put up. This is a party that's working to get re-elected.

Up 3 Down 1

Government Jobs on Feb 16, 2018 at 1:02 pm

They are government jobs, the hiring spree continues, no matter the party.

In 1 year since Jan 2017, added 1,100 public sector jobs in the Yukon. Lost 600 private sector jobs. A new high of 44.4% are working directly for one of our many governments.

Up 1 Down 0

Calf Wirter on Feb 15, 2018 at 5:02 pm

Save on foods or save on joblessness.

Up 2 Down 0

ProScience Greenie on Feb 15, 2018 at 3:13 pm

What kind of jobs are these?

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