Following two consecutive months of growth, employment held steady in October. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.5%.

On a year-over-year basis, employment grew by 443,000 or 2.4%, driven by gains in full-time work. Over the same period, total hours worked were up 1.3%.

In October, employment increased in British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador, and was little changed in the other provinces.

Employment was down for men in the core working ages of 25 to 54, and grew for the population aged 55 and over.

Employment declined in manufacturing and construction. At the same time, employment was up in public administration and in finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing.

The number of self-employed workers decreased, while the number of employees in the public sector increased for the second consecutive month.