Canada’s economy continues to recover as coronavirus restrictions are slowly easing throughout the country. Last July, about 55 percent of the three million jobs lost in April were recouped, according to a recent Labor Force Survey from Statistics Canada.
Many industries were hit hard as Canada began enforcing lockdowns and restricting travel during the beginning of the pandemic. But as the country begins to recover, Statistic Canada’s recent survey shows us a sharp turnaround from the earlier economic downturn, with 419,000 new jobs in July, a 2.4 percent increase from last month.
Compared to 73,000 full-time jobs, July saw a surge in part-time work, 345,000 part-time positions filled.
Another positive indicator for economic recovery, more women were hired than men in July. However, current employment levels for women remain far from pre-COVID employment levels compared to men. Other minorities have also been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, including immigrants.
According to Statistics Canada, higher rates of unemployment in minority groups could be due to their higher concentration in industries such as food and retail services, which have been drastically affected by the pandemic.
However, recent immigrants who landed in Canada within the last five years saw a small rise in employment, at 2.1 percent, likely due to the fewer numbers of immigrants entering Canada since the pandemic began.
Employment levels for low-wage employees saw a fast increase as the country began to open up, however, they still fell short of pre-pandemic levels.
Last July also saw unemployment dropping by 10.9 percent. However, 2.2 million people remain unemployed in Canada.
Statistics Canada conducts monthly surveys to evaluate the Canadian labor force, and recently began including information on the labor market conditions of visible minorities. As the country continues to recover from the coronavirus, this information proves valuable in charting the country’s progress. It also provides a deeper look into the country’s problem areas, allowing Canada to plan solutions with the information given.
“Through the addition of a new survey question and the introduction of new statistical methods, the LFS is now able to more fully determine the impact of the COVID-19 economic shutdown on diverse groups of Canadians,” Statistic Canada stated in the recent survey.
Despite the struggle, Canada looks to be moving towards resolving the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.
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