The capital region’s jobless slid to 9.1 per cent in July, from 9.5 per cent in June as people continued to return to work.
Employment expanded by 15,200 for the month while the size of the labour force, which includes job seekers, was up 14,000.
Employment remains 64,800 below where it was in February, before the coronavirus hijacked the economy.
Biggest movers by job sector in the national capital region were retail & wholesale (up 8,200 or 10.5 per cent) and hotels & restaurants (up 4,800 or nearly 22 per cent).
Retail employment is now nearly 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels; restaurant jobs have crept back to within 60 per cent.
Nationally, Statistics Canada said the national unemployment rate was 10.9 per cent in July, down from the 12.3 per cent recorded in June.
The agency said the labour force gained 419,000 jobs in June as more parts of the economy were allowed to reopen.
-More to come
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