There was good and bad news in the employment figures released Friday by Statistics Canada.
The good news was an overall increase in employment, up 56,000 month-over-month and driven mostly by full-time jobs. The bad news was that most provinces did not see much change as Ontario was the only region to show a notable gain (of 37,000).
Quebec saw a slight increase in employment while Manitoba saw a 3.3% decline.
Ontario and Quebec accounted for most of the gains in professional, scientific and technical services jobs, which gained 18,000 and marked a third rise in four months.
Public administration, natural resources, and agriculture all saw gains in employment while accommodation and food services jobs declined.
Employment rose for both women and men aged 15 to 24, while for those in the core working ages of 25 to 54 employment was little changed, and
In the 12 months to February, total employment nationally grew by 369,000 or 2.0%, reflecting increases in both full- (+266,000) and part-time (+103,000) work. Over the same period, total hours worked were virtually unchanged.
There was little change in the number of self-employed workers either year-over-year or month-over-month.
