Employment increased by 40,000 (+0.2 per cent) in August, following little change in July. Since January 2023, employment has increased by 174,000 (+0.9 per cent)—or by 25,000 on average per month

In Alberta, employment increased by 18,000 (+0.7 per cent) in August, the second consecutive monthly increase.

In August, about one million people—or 5.4 per cent of the employed—held multiple jobs, virtually unchanged from a year earlier (three-month moving averages, not seasonally adjusted).

The participation rate—the proportion of the population who is employed or unemployed—was down 0.1 per centage points to 65.5 per cent in August.

The unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.5 per cent, following three consecutive monthly increases in May, June, and July.

Among core-aged men (aged 25 to 54), employment increased by 33,000 (+0.5 per cent) in August, offsetting a decrease of 27,000 in July.

Employment for core-aged women also increased in August (+21,000; +0.3 per cent), following two months of little change.

Despite employment gains in August, employment rates for core-aged women (81.5 per cent) and men (87.7 per cent) were both little changed in the month.

Construction employment increased by 34,000 (+2.2 per cent) in August. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment in this industry was little changed in August.

On a year-over-year basis, average hourly wages rose 4.9 per cent (+$1.56 to $33.47) in August, following an increase of 5.0 per cent in July.

The number of self-employed workers rose by 50,000 (+1.9 per cent) in August, the first notable increase in nine months.

Employment in professional, scientific, and technical services increased by 52,000 (+2.8 per cent) in August, offsetting a cumulative decrease of 36,000 from March to July.