INSTANT VIEW - Canada jobs for December
Fri January 10, 2003 07:17 AM ET
TORONTO, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Following are reactions to the December labor force survey released by Statistics Canada on Friday.
Canada created 58,000 jobs in December -- more than three times as many as expected -- to end the year with the highest employment growth rate in 15 years.

A Reuters poll of analysts had forecast an average 18,500 jobs would be created in December.

Of the 58,000 jobs created in December, 46,200 were full time and 11,800 were part time. December's unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.5 percent.

DOUG PORTER, SENIOR ECONOMIST, BMO NESBITT BURNS:

"It might not be quite as strong as the headline would suggest but it's still a very impressive number overall. It basically caps the year of amazing strength, which was pretty much the story all year long.

"If anything, the December number was larger than the average for the year.

"Some may quibble that the fact that manufacturing was down heavily, but I think that's really a footnote. The big picture here is that the Canadian Energizer Bunny, previously known as Canadian employment, just keeps on chugging along.

"It leaves a possible spring tightening on the radar screen. I doubt they (Bank of Canada) are going to do anything as early as January."


Full Story: http://www.reuters.com/financeNewsArticle.jhtml?type=economicNews&storyID=2023178

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