P.E.I. jobs edge down in May, but up over last year — including in health care

Prince Edward Island's unemployment rate edged up in May, as part-time jobs in the province dropped by 1,500 compared to April.

The jobless rate was 7.2 per cent, up 0.1 percentage points from the month before, according to the Labour Force Survey posted by Statistics Canada on Friday.

However, the number of full-time jobs rose by 900, bringing the total number of jobs on the Island to 88,600. That's down only 0.6 of a percentage point.

Looking at the year leading up to May 2023, the province had 3,400 more jobs overall — with the health care and social assistance sector gaining a whopping 2,400 of those jobs in the 12-month period for a 20.2 per cent increase.

There were 100 more health care and social assistance jobs in May compared to a month earlier.

The province's labour force in May consisted of 95,900 people, with 6,900 of them looking for jobs but unemployed.

Wages up 5% across Canada in past year 

The province's unemployment rate is higher than the national average.

Nationally, the rate rose 0.2 percentage points in May to 5.2 per cent, marking the first increase for that statistic since August of 2022.

"On a year-over-year basis, average hourly wages rose 5.1 per cent… in May (not seasonally adjusted)," the Statistics Canada report said of the national job scene.

"The youth unemployment rate was 10.7 per cent in May, up 1.1 percentage points from April, and the highest rate since October 2022."

The Labour Force Survey for May noted that across Canada, 10 per cent of all workers had a hybrid work arrangement in May, meaning "they usually worked partly at home and partly in locations other than home," and 14.4 per cent of Canadian workers worked exclusively at home.