The Omicron assault sent down employment in December, the first relapse in nine months in Canada, where the unemployment rate soared to 6.5%. In Quebec, the rate increased by 0.7% to 5.4%.
Posted at 8:39
The new health measures to fight against the 5and wave of the pandemic has reduced employment by 200,000 in Canada, especially in Quebec and Ontario, Statistics Canada reported on Friday.
In Quebec, where a curfew was imposed on New Year’s Eve, employment in Quebec fell by 63,000 in January. It’s the first notable drop in 12 months, when the province also instituted strict public health measures.
Once again, it is young people and women who have lost their jobs. The largest declines were recorded in accommodation and food services, and less pronounced declines were observed in business services, building and other support services as well as in professional, scientific services and techniques.
At the same time, more people were working in health care and social assistance. The unemployment rate rose 0.7 percentage points to 5.4%.
All of January’s employment decline was in the private sector.