Lockdowns slam brakes on Canada’s jobs market recovery

Canada’s labour market recovery hit a major snag in April, as the economy shed 207,100 jobs.

Canada’s job recovery hit a snag in April as a third wave of lockdowns and Covid-19 restrictions led to fresh employment losses. The country shed 207,100 jobs last month, Statistics Canada reported Friday from Ottawa, partially erasing large gains over the previous two months. Economists in a Bloomberg survey had predicted a drop of 150,000. The unemployment rate rose to 8.1% in April, from 7.5% a month earlier. The rate was below 6% before the pandemic. Despite the setback, analysts expect a quick rebound as early as June once containment measures have been lifted with the economy back on track toward full recovery — as was the case after previous lockdowns. The bulk of the losses were limited to pandemic-exposed sectors, like retail, food and accommodation, a sign that the slowdown isn’t broad-based.