Last year, employment grew by 334,000, or 2.2%, from 2002. The annual employment rate hit an historic high of 62.4% of the working-age population.
One factor in this trend is the increased number of older workers who are staying in the labour market -- a trend that could help reduce potential labour shortages. 2003 was the third consecutive year that older workers led job gains, so it indeed may be a trend.
As a result, the median age of retirement in 2003 was nearly 62, up from just under 61 in the late 1990s.
Employment among men aged 55 and older rose by 88,000, or 8.3%, while employment among women in this group rose by 102,000, or 14.2%. Among older women, the largest gains occurred in health care and social assistance. For older men, gains were in education, construction and real estate.