Year-to-date employment in May 2019 was up over the same period in 2018 in Agriculture (3,380),    Utilities (340), Manufacturing (2,020), Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing (1,980),    Professional, scientific and technical services (1,360), Business, building and other support services (1,480), Educational services (2,640), Health care and social assistance (3,060), Information, culture and recreation (600), Accommodation and food services (2,360),    and Other services (2,020).

Year-to-date employment in May 2019 was down in Resource Extraction (-1840), Construction (-1260), Wholesale and Retail Trade (-4100), Transportation and warehousing (-2340), and Public administration (-640).

The average year-to-date unemployment rate dropped from 6.5 % in May 2018, to 5.7% in May 2019. Year-to-date, the average number of unemployed is down from 39,000 in April 2018 to 34,440 in May 2019 with the majority of these being absorbed into the employed labour force.

Sub sectors that posted increases were: Used car dealers (10.3%), Gasoline stations (2.8%), Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers (15.6%), Health and personal care stores (0.6%), Clothing and clothing accessories stores (0.3%), Sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores (3.7%), Grocery stores (6.1%), General merchandise stores (0.8%), and All other (5.9%).

During the same time period New car dealers (-8.5%), Electronics and appliance stores (-35.6%), and Beer, wine and liquor stores (-0.8%) posted declines.

March 2019 year-to-date wholesale trade was up 12.0% over the same period in 2018. Food, beverage and tobacco merchant wholesalers (0.3%), Machinery, equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers (0.9%), Building material and supplies merchant wholesalers (1.2%), and All other (372.1%) all posted increases while Farm product merchant wholesalers (-3.4%) saw a decline.

March 2019 year-to-date new motor vehicle sales were up 0.9% from March year-to-date 2018. New minivans, sport-utility vehicles, light and heavy trucks, vans and buses sales were up 4.1% while New passenger cars sales were down -16.6%.

March 2019 year-to-date restaurant receipts were up 3.3% over the same period in 2018. Within restaurant receipts Full-service restaurants (3.1%) and Limited-service eating places (5.9%) increased. At the same time, declines were noted in Special food services (-6.4%) and Drinking places (alcoholic beverages) (-9.8%).

Sub sectors that posted increases were: Metal ores and non-metallic minerals (25.0%), Metal and non-metallic mineral products (25.6%), Basic and industrial chemical, plastic and rubber products (20.8%), Industrial machinery, equipment and parts (3.5%), Aircraft and other transportation equipment and parts (22.4%), Consumer goods (35.8%), and Special transactions (8.0%). Sub sectors that posted decreases were: Farm, fishing and intermediate food products (-2.5%), Energy products (-18.3%), Forestry products and building and packaging materials (-13.0%), Electronic and electrical equipment and parts (-12.6%), and Motor vehicles and parts (-1.2%).

May 2019, total year-to-date housing starts are down by -587 units or -49.0%. Year-to-date increases were observed in semi-detached (12 units or 24.5%). Year-to-date declines were noted in singles (-115 units or -27.8%), row (-42 units or -28.2%), and apartment and other types (-442 units or -75.4%).

April 2019 year-to-date building permits are down -1.5% over the same period in 2018. Sub sectors that posted increases were: industrial (55.7%) and commercial (22.5%). During the same time period, residential (-29.8%) and institutional and governmental (-13.5%) posted declines.

Construction employment continued to decline in 2018 and in the first 5 months month of 2019. Year-to-date May construction employment was down by 1,260 positions from the same period in 2018 in tandem with weak housing and building permit activity.

Year-to-date employment in May 2019 was up over the same period in 2018 in Information, culture and recreation (600).

2019 Q1 Provincial population was up 1% over 2018 Q1 to 1,168,423 on the strength of international in-migration. This can be expected to continue through 2019 with a recovering labour market.

March 2019 year-to-date manufacturing sales are down by -1.1% over the same period in 2018.

Sub sectors that posted increases were:

• Food manufacturing sales (16.9%)
• Fabricated metal product manufacturing sales (40.3%).

Sub sectors that posted decreases were:

• Chemical manufacturing sales (-18.3%)
• Machinery manufacturing sales (-3.0%)
• All other Manufacturing sales (-2.4%).