Employment rises again in August, retail still lags – StatCan
September 14, 2021
StatCan released its Labour Force Survey results for August, and the results were positive overall. Employment rose by 90,000 (+0.5%) in August, the third consecutive monthly increase. Job numbers are now within 156,000 (-0.8%) of its February 2020 level, the closest since the onset of the pandemic.
August’s gains were largely in full-time work (+69,000; +0.4%), and mainly in services-producing industries, led by accommodation and food services, and were spread across multiple demographic groups.
Despite the overall return to pre-COVID employment in the services-producing sector in August, several industries, including hospitality and food services, remain further behind in their recovery. Retail remains at -2.2% below pre-COVID levels.
