NLIS 6
June 8, 2001
(Human Resources and Employment)

Provincial employment gains continue

Employment for Newfoundland and Labrador jumped by 10,600 jobs in May as compared to the same time last year, according to the latest Labour Force Survey released by Statistics Canada.

This allowed employment to reach a new record level at 216,300 for May 2001. The previous record was 207,700 in May 1989.

The unemployment rate for the province dropped by 0.8 percentage points to 17.2 per cent as compared to the same time last year.

Seasonally adjusted, the unemployment rate in May fell to 15.6 per cent, a drop of 1.7 percentage points from the previous month.

Employment gains were broadly based across the goods and services sectors. Significant gains were made in manufacturing, construction, health care, professional, scientific and technical services, and administrative and support services.

"We're certainly encouraged by the improving labour market in our province," said Gerald Smith, Minister of Human Resources and Employment. "The labour force grew by 4.3 per cent in May as compared to May 2000, which means that workers are confident that they'll be able to find employment. Year to date indicators suggest the labour market may continue to improve as the year progresses."

Media contact: Marcia Porter, Communications, (709) 729-0175.

2001 06 08                                    2:40 p.m.