Region’s unemployment rate falls below 5% with addition of 12,300 jobs in July

The capital region’s jobless numbers tumbled sharply to 4.8 per cent in July compared to 5.6 per cent in June as Ottawa employers stepped up their hiring, Statistics Canada reported Friday. It’s the first time the unemployment rate has been below five per cent since last November.

The region added 12,300 net new jobs in July, while the labour force — which includes people looking for work — increased by a relatively modest 8,200. Nearly all the additions occurred on the Ottawa side of the river, where the labour force grew by 8,300 and the economy added 11,700 jobs. In Gatineau, both workforce and employment levels were stable. These numbers have been seasonally adjusted.

StatCan estimated employment levels in Ottawa and Gatineau were 580,800 and 183,400 respectively in July, a total of 764,200.

On an unadjusted basis, the capital region added 15,300 net new jobs for a July total of 775,700. The health-services sector added 6,800 net new jobs from June, making it the biggest gainer. But other parts of the economy were also showing strength. Wholesale/retail, transportation and warehousing, and professional services each added between 2,500 and 3,000 jobs from June to July.

The capital region’s job performance was in marked contrast with that of the country as a whole. Canada lost 24,200 jobs between June and July, and its unemployment rate moved up to 5.7 per cent to give the economy its weakest three-month stretch of job creation since early 2018.