Canada adds 95,000 jobs in May, beating expectations; unemployment rate falls

OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says the economy added a whopping 95,000 jobs in May, the biggest monthly increase in nearly a decade.

The job gains were the first major increase for 2013 and many times greater than economists had expected.

It was the biggest job creation month since August 2002 and brought the country’s official unemployment rate down one-tenth of a point to 7.1 per cent.

The details of the employment report were positive across the board.

All were private sector and in the employee class — rather than the less desirable self-employment category — and almost all were full-time.

Even young people had an easier time finding employment in May, with about 54,000 of the new workers in the 15 to 24 age group joining the labour force.

Regionally, employment rose in most provinces with Ontario realizing the lion’s share of the increases, adding 50,600 workers. Employment rose by 18,600 in Alberta and 20,100 in Quebec.