Regional disparities

Though rates of employment have been rising across the country, regional disparities remain when it comes to job-hunting. For example, almost a third of the new jobs created in 2002 were in Ontario. Newfoundland and Labrador recorded the fastest job growth but still had the country's highest unemployment rate (16.9%).

Earnings differ between regions as well. While the average full-year, full-time worker in Canada earned $43,500 in 2001, employees in the Atlantic provinces earned $34,600 while those in Quebec earned $40,800 and, in the Prairie provinces, $41,900. Ontario’s average was the only one greater than the national average at $47,500, while British Columbia posted the next highest with earnings of $42,500.