Canadian Tourism Employment Monthly Snapshot – January 2017
Canadian Tourism Employment Monthly Snapshot – January 2017
(seasonally unadjusted)
In January 2017, the unemployment rate1 in the tourism sector was at 6.1%, which is the same rate reported in January 2016, and lower than the previous month (December 2016) when the unemployment rate stood at 6.2%.
At 6.1%, tourism’s unemployment rate was below Canada’s seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate of 7.2%.
The only industry groups to have reported lower or equal unemployment rates than that had one year ago are the accommodations sector and the recreation and entertainment sector. All other industry groups have reported higher unemployment rates than last year (Table 1).
On a provincial basis, tourism unemployment rates ranged from 3.8% in British Colombia to 22.4% in Prince Edward Island.
The seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates for tourism in each province, with the exception of Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, were well below the rates reported for the provincial economy (Figure 1).
Tourism employment comprised 10.9% of the total Canadian labour force for the first month of the year.
Table 1 – Employment Rate by Tourism Industry Group – January 2016/2017
| Tourism Industry Group2 |
Unemployment Rate –
January 2016 |
Unemployment Rate –
January 2017 |
| Tourism |
6.1% |
6.1% |
| Accommodations |
12.6% |
8.8% |
| Food and Beverage |
5.4% |
5.6% |
| Recreation and Entertainment |
7.4% |
7.4% |
| Transportation |
3.5% |
4.2% |
| Travel Services |
N/A |
8.6% |
Figure 1 – Tourism Sector vs. Total Labour Force Unemployment Rates by Province (Seasonally Unadjusted)