Employment increases by 419,000 in Canada — Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada reported in its Labour Force Survey that Canada gained 419,000 jobs in July. (File photo: @nullplus/Unsplash)

More and more Canadians are getting jobs amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as Canada continues to safely reopen its economy.

Statistics Canada reported in its Labour Force Survey that Canada gained 419,000 jobs in July. Most of these were part-time positions which increased by 345,000, while 73,000 were full-time jobs.

Most provinces have seen an increase in employment, with Ontario gaining 151,000 jobs, Quebec with 98,000, British Columbia with 70,000, Alberta with 67,000, Saskatchewan with 13,000, Manitoba with 12,000, Newfoundland and Labrador with 4,300, Nova Scotia with 3,400, and Prince Edward Island with 1,100.

The agency also noted that the unemployment rate shrank by 10.9 percent in July, a decrease of 1.4 percentage points from June’s 12.3 percent and a cut of 2.8 percentage points from May’s record-high of 13.7 percent.

According to Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate would have been at 13.8 percent last month if they included individuals who wanted to work but did not look for a job.

In terms of race, the Labour Force Survey showed that the unemployment rate in July was higher for South Asian, Arab, and Black Canadians. The jobless rate for South Asians stood at 17.8 percent, followed by Arabs at 17.3 percent and Black at 16.8 percent. The unemployment rate was higher among women than men in the South Asian Canadian community and Black Canadian community.

In a joint statement Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion Minister Carla Qualtrough, Families, Children and Social Development Minister Ahmed Hussen, Innovation, Science, and Industry Minister Navdeep Bains, and Diversity and Inclusion and Youth Minister Bardish Chagger, the officials described the figures shown in the survey as a “historic moment for Canadian data collection.”

“For the first time, the Labour Force Survey has collected data disaggregated by race and visible minority status,” they said.

“Understanding how this pandemic is affecting Canadians from different backgrounds is a critical first step towards addressing inequity in our labour force. We know that the best decisions are based on the most inclusive data, and our Government will continue to monitor and track how this situation is impacting Canadians from all walks of life,” they added.