Statistics Canada says employment rose by 419,000 in July as businesses and workplaces continued to reopen across the country.
The job gains pushed the national unemployment rate down to 10.9 per cent from 12.4 per cent in June, according to the latest labour force survey released Friday.
But the numbers suggest the economy still has a ways to go before employment returns to levels seen before COVID-19.
Combined with 953,000 jobs gained in June and 290,000 in May, employment is still 1.3 million below its pre-pandemic levels in February. The agency said the country lost about three million jobs from February to April.
For the first time, Statistics Canada also released information on the labour market conditions of population groups designated as visible minorities.
The seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate ranged from 16.8 per cent to 17.8 per cent for South Asian, Arab and Black Canadians compared to 9.3 per cent for those not designated a visible minority or identified as Indigenous. South Asian and Black women also had higher unemployment rates than their male counterparts.
Statistics Canada said the higher unemployment rates among visible minorities could be, in part, attributed to their greater numbers in some of the industries hardest hit by the economic shutdown, such as the accommodation and food services industry
Numbers In The Maritimes
The agency says job numbers were little changed in New Brunswick in July after employment gains of 39,000 from April to June.
The province gained 1,900 part-time jobs but lost 3,700 full-time positions, leading to a net loss of 1,800 jobs. The unemployment rate also fell by one-tenth of a percentage point to 9.8 per cent, the fourth-lowest in the country.
Statistics Canada says employment is at 96.6 per cent of its pre-COVID-19 levels — the most complete employment recovery of all provinces to date.
Year-over-year, employment is down by 6,500 in New Brunswick and the unemployment rate is 1.3 percentage points higher.
In Nova Scotia, employment rose by 3,400 in July, reaching 92.7 per cent of its February level. The unemployment rate in the province declined by 2.2 percentage points to 10.8 per cent.
The province gained 4,000 part-time jobs but lost 700 full-time positions in July.
Year-over-year, employment is down by more than 26,000 and the unemployment rate is 3.3 percentage points higher.
Employment in Prince Edward Island rose by 1,100 in July, adding to the gains in the previous two months. The unemployment rate declined by 3.5 percentage points to 11.7 per cent.
The island lost 1,300 full-time jobs and gained 2,400 part-time positions in July.
Year-over-year, employment is down by 4,000 and the unemployment rate is 3.3 percentage points higher.
Labour Force Survey: Employment rose by 419,000 (+2.4%) in July, compared with 953,000 (+5.8%) in June. This brought employment to within 1.3 million (-7.0%) of its pre-COVID February level. https://t.co/rhAH2efLDY pic.twitter.com/pHImDjWQOI
— Statistics Canada (@StatCan_eng) August 7, 2020
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