Employment Rate Canada: MSM Spin Overly Negative Story

Context, perspective regarding our employment, how are the media, pundits, politicians communicating on the issue or the ability of government to create and make jobs?

How much are we spending in municipal, provincial, federal budgets in creating, saving jobs? How much is too much in saving jobs in your riding, industry?

The media can demostrate a bias by highlighting something and omitting a perspective.

Employment was little changed for a second consecutive month in May, with full-time gains mostly offset by losses in part time. The unemployment rate held steady for the fourth straight month at 6.1%, a 33-year low.

Unemployment rate rises, Ontario hit hardest

The national unemployment rate was 6.2 per cent in June. Here's what happened provincially (previous month in brackets):

Newfoundland 13.1 (12.5)
Prince Edward Island 10.1 (9.6)
Nova Scotia 7.6 (8.2)
New Brunswick 9.7 (8.9)
Quebec 7.2 (7.5)
Ontario 6.7 (6.4)
Manitoba 4.1 (4.2)
Saskatchewan 4.0 (4.1)
Alberta 3.3 (3.6)
British Columbia 4.5 (4.5)
Putting the unemployment rate in context

Despite the increase in 2008, Canada’s unemployment rate was still lower than it has been anytime between 1974 and 2006. In 1983, the unemployment rate in Canada reached an all-time high of 12 per cent. A more robust economy following the recession in the early 1990s, as well as stricter rules for unemployment benefit claims, helped Canada to cut that rate in half. It reached a 32-year low in 2007.

Not only does high unemployment tend to hurt labour productivity and GDP growth, it is also linked to higher rates of poverty, homelessness, income inequality, crime, poorer health outcomes, lower self-esteem, and social exclusion.

Following gains in April, employment decreased by 42,000 in May, led by further manufacturing losses in Ontario. The unemployment rate rose by 0.4 percentage points to 8.4%, the highest rate in 11 years. Since the employment peak of last October, employment has fallen by 363,000 or 2.1%. The Daily

March's employment increase brings total gains to 176,000 (+1.1%) since July 2009.

Part-time employment was up by 32,000 in March, more than offsetting full-time losses. Despite the gain in March, part-time employment has fallen by 0.6% since July 2009, while full-time work has grown by 1.4%. - The Daily

- Monte Solberg

The thing about politics is that it’s almost always about looking for ways to make things better, which is good and noble and it’s the thing that voters want to hear. The problem with the gospel of constant improvement is that it promotes an almost single-minded focus on what we are missing instead of being thankful for all that we have. Besides, let’s be honest and acknowledge that the degree to which government can improve most people’s lives is limited. After all, before a government put in place a program to supplement our income, they first have to tax away our income

How much MORE will we have to repay in increased taxes for the Global recession and government spending?

In April 2007 unemployment in the U.S. dropped to 4.4%, March 2010 it rose to 9.7% for an increase of 5.3%.

In 2007 Canada reached 6.2%  and quickly rose to  over 8% as a result of the Global recession. A difference of 2% in the first six months of 2009. The rate remains 2% above the record low achieved in 2007. In Canada 1981-1998 our unemployment was above 8% (17 years). From 1999 - 2008 it remained below 8% (9 years).

We are currently outperforming the U.S. by 3% on employment. Another story you won't see in MSM.