Nunavut has youngest workers in Canada

Nunavut’s labour force is the youngest in Canada, according to numbers released this week by Statistics Canada from its 2001 census.

In a report called The Changing Profile of Canada’s Labour Force, Statistics Canada says at 36.2 years, the average age of Nunavut workers is the lowest in the country. Saskatchewan had the oldest labour force at 39.8 years.

Among the provinces, Alberta had the nation’s youngest labour force with an average age of 38.4.

Nunavut also had a whopping increase in job growth at about 40 per cent, moving from 6,670 jobs in 1991 to 9,380 in 2001. The employment rate for the territory jumped from 51.8 per cent in 1991 to 56.2 per cent in 2001.

The Northwest Territories had a small jump, moving from 69.3 per cent employment to 69.8 per cent, while the Yukon’s employment rate dropped over the 10-year period from 72.1 per cent to 70.6 per cent.

Employment across Canada grew 13 per cent between 1991 and 2001.