MONTREAL, Canada (CIC NEWS) – Lifting coronavirus-related lockdown restrictions around the country has sparked the beginning of Canada’s economic recovery. Many Canadians and permanent residents returned to work for their previous employers while others started new jobs.
Between February and April, a total of 3 million people lost their jobs due to the lockdown, and another 2.5 million were absent from work due to coronavirus-related reasons, according to a Statistics Canada report published on Friday.
May saw a slow start of economic recovery as 290,000 people returned to work. Building on this, the month of June helped alleviate low unemployment rates across the country as employment increased by a record 953,000 people.
These last two months saw the labour market recover by a staggering 40 percent as over 1.24 million people gained employment.
Canada’s overall unemployment rate dropped from 13.7 percent in May to 12.3 percent in June. In addition, the report says that labour force participation rate has increased substantially over the last two months up to 63.8 percent in June. In comparison, it was 65.5 percent in February, before coronavirus-related restrictions.
The labour force participation rate is the percentage of the population, aged 15 or older, who are part of the labour force.
This suggests that many people are now more optimistic about the potential of finding a job. The Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) requirement to actively search for work may be another factor. The CESB was introduced to alleviate financial struggles of students who may have been affected by the coronavirus-related restrictions
Moreover, the number of people who work less than half of their usual hours also decreased in June to 26.9 percent down from 34.3 percent. Employment in Ontario increased by 378,000 (or 5.9 percent), Quebec by 248,000 (or 6.5 percent) and British Columbia by 118,000 (or 5.4 percent).
The reopening of Canada’s economy bodes well for Canadians and permanent residents. It should also instill confidence in future permanent residents, such as those currently overseas.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has returned to normal in terms of Express Entry draws. The latest draw held was an all-program draw. This means that candidates for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC) were also considered.
Since the travel restrictions were put in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, IRCC had been holding program-specific draws, alternating between Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draws and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws.
Canada’s latest job statistics is good news for these immigrants since they can expect a stronger job market once they have obtained permanent residence.
This article originally appeared on CIC NEWS on July 11, 2020.
