Photo: Nathan Denette Archives The canadian Press
The unemployment rate reached a peak in may, even though the economy has added 289 600 jobs, while businesses were able to reopen thanks to the easing of the public health measures put in place to fight against the pandemic.
The unemployment rate stood at 13.7 %, exceeding the previous peak of 13.1 % in December 1982, according to a new report by Statistics Canada on Friday.
The increase in the unemployment rate occurred as more and more people have started to look for work.
The increase in the number of jobs comes after the loss of three million jobs in march and April.
Economists were expecting on average a loss of 500,000 jobs in may and an unemployment rate of 15.0 %, according to the company data on the financial markets Refinitiv.
Decline in the unemployment rate in Quebec
In Quebec, the unemployment rate fell 3.3 % last month to reach 13.7 %.
Statistics Canada explains that from April to may, employment in Quebec increased 6.5 % (231 000). Moreover, the employment growth observed in Quebec has been the highest among the provinces and it represented a recovery of approximately 30 % decreases the cumulative recorded in march and April.
In addition, the number of persons laid off temporarily in Québec decreased.
With the exception of Nova Scotia, the other two Maritime provinces have begun to loosen the restrictions related to the COVID-19 at the beginning of may. The number of people in employment increased by 17 000 in New Brunswick, 8600, Nova Scotia, and from the 2600 to the Île-du-Prince-Édouard.
In New Brunswick, the unemployment rate dipped slightly from April to may, from 13.2 % to 12.8 %. On the other hand, it has increased elsewhere in the Maritimes: from 12% to 13.6% in Nova Scotia and from 10.8 % to 13.9 % in the Île-du-Prince-Édouard.
