The decline in available jobs across Canada's automotive manufacturing market has halted, new figures have suggested.

According to Toronto-based analyst firm DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, the number of jobs available in the industry is no longer falling, the Windsor Star reports.

Last year, there was a total of 109,333 jobs in the car assembly and parts industry, a figure that was virtually unchanged from the 109,117 posts occupied in 2009.

Dennis DesRosiers was quoted by the news source as saying there has been "low single digit growth" over the past eight months, meaning the situation "is no longer deteriorating".

However, employment levels in the industry are still way below the peak level seen 11 years ago, when it employed 171,982 people.

The latest Canadian Labor Force Survey revealed employment across all industries rose by 69,900 people in January, representing the second consecutive monthly gain.

However, an increase in the number of people looking for work resulted in the unemployment rate jumping by 0.2 percentage points.

Posted by Fiona Summers