Greater Sudbury unemployment rate dropped an entire percentage point in February, said Statistics Canada in its monthly Labour Force Survey.
The unemployment rate now sits at 4.3 per cent, down from 5.3 per cent in January, said StatsCan.
A year ago, the unemployment rate was sitting at 8.3 per cent.
Canada’s unemployment rate also dropped by an entire percentage point in February, down to 5.5 per cent from 6.5 per cent in January.
Employment climbed 337,000 (up 1.8 per cent) in February, more than offsetting losses that coincided with stricter public health measures in January. The unemployment rate dropped lower than in February 2020 (5.7 per cent) and similar to the record low (5.4 per cent) observed in May 2019.
February’s employment growth was driven by gains in the number of private sector employees, and gains were most notable in the accommodation and food services, and information, culture and recreation industries.
The unemployment rate fell in all major demographic groups in February. For the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, men and women in all major age groups had an unemployment rate at, or below, what it was before the pandemic in February 2020.
Among youth aged 15 to 24, the unemployment rate fell 2.7 percentage points to 10.9 per cent in February after increasing 2.5 percentage points in January. The unemployment rate declined for both young men (down 2.6 percentage points to 12.3 per cent) and young women (down 2.8 percentage points to 9.5 per cent).
Among core-aged women, the unemployment rate fell 0.9 percentage points to 4.4 per cent in February, fully erasing the increase of 0.6 percentage points recorded in January. For core-aged men, the unemployment rate fell 0.5 percentage points to 4.3 per cent, following little change in January.
The unemployment rate of women aged 55 and older declined for the first time since November 2021, down 1.9 percentage points to 4.9 per cent. Among men aged 55 and older, the unemployment rate fell for the third time in four months, declining 0.5 percentage points to 5.7 per cent in February 2022.
Employment growth in Ontario (+194,000; +2.6%) was led by the accommodation and food services and the information, culture and recreation industries. The unemployment rate fell 1.8 percentage points to 5.5 per cent in February 2022, the lowest since February 2020.
The employment increase in February was widespread across the country. The largest proportional increases were in Newfoundland and Labrador (up 4.3 per cent; +9,500) and Prince Edward Island (up 4.1 per cent; +3,300).
Both Ontario (up 2.6 per cent; +194,000) and Quebec (up 1.9 per cent; +82,000) recorded strong growth, followed by Saskatchewan (up 1.3 per cent; +7,400), Manitoba (up 1.0 per cent; +6,400), British Columbia (up 0.8 per cent; +21,000) and Nova Scotia (up 0.8 per cent; +3,700). There was little employment change in New Brunswick and Alberta.
In recent weeks, as concerns about the impact of the Omicron variant have eased, a number of employers have resumed or accelerated their plans for a return to the office, said StatsCan. For some workers, this will mean transitioning to working entirely at locations other than home, while for others it will involve following a hybrid model, meaning that they work some days or hours at home and some at other locations.
As of the week of Feb. 13-19, less than one-quarter (22.5 per cent) of Canadians with a job or business reported that they usually work exclusively from home, while the majority (73 per cent) reported that they work exclusively at locations other than home.
Hybrid work became more prevalent in February, increasing 0.9 percentage points from January to 4.5 per cent. In the professional, scientific and technical services industry, where hybrid work is most common, hybrid work increased to 8.7 per cent and working exclusively from home declined 2.5 percentage points in February to 56.9 per cent (not seasonally adjusted).
As employers implement return-to-office plans, a number of factors might influence their ability to attract and retain employees, including tightening labour market conditions, with low unemployment and high job vacancies; concerns about consumer prices and affordability; and the desire of some workers to retain the flexibility and quality of employment associated with working from home.
