“Real” Unemployment Rate Passes 12%

Statistics Canada provides an “R8” unemployment rate which adds to the unemployed:

– discouraged job searchers who have dropped out of the labour force

– those working part -time due to unavailability of  hours

– those not looking for work because awaiting a return to work

By this measure, the unemployment rate jumped from 11.7% to 12.4% last month — driven not just by the sharp rise in unemployment, but also  by falling labour force partcipation and a shift from full time to part time jobs.

As noted by Erin in his post on the numbers , we base access to EI and duration of benefits on the official unemployment  rate, which is not adequately registering the pronounced decline in labour market conditions.

3 comments

  • I live in Toronto Ontario Canada and I always wondered why our government says we are in a serious economic downturn but the stated unemployment rate is at 8% which in my opinion does not seem that high.

    I know the recession is getting worse because I have been looking for work for months and even trying to find part time work is hard enough.

    Our government is concealing the truth and or plain out lying.

  • I live in BC; in the Kelowna area.

    I have been trying to get a new job for 4 months now, sending out atleast 100 resumes to all sorts of places requesting to work, these places simply have stacks of resumes and I get no response at all. Unemployement is nearing 35% in most areas close to the USA, Where i work, all construction is incredibly slow, a site that had 300 workers a few months back now has 50. The rest get laid off.

    The World Government’s Depopulation agenda is activating. USA’s depopulation is beginning and Canada’s will follow soon afterwards.

  • I have been looking for a P/T job for the last 4 months. I’m completely amazed @ the lack of responses I recieve.

    I believe the rate of unemployment is much higher than the Government is telling us.

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