Canada's jobless rate edges up in May

Canada

OTTAWA, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Canada's unemployment rate edged up 0.1 percent to 8.2 percent in May, Statistics Canada said Friday.

The country's jobless rate rose for a second month under third-wave restrictions with about 68,000 out of job in May due to governments' strengthened lockdown measures to stem the spread of COVID-19 third wave.

Almost all of the employment decline in May was in part-time work, which decreased 54,000 jobs.

The number of self-employed workers was virtually unchanged in May but remained 5 percent below its pre-COVID-19 pandemic level.

The employment in goods-producing sectors dropped for the first time since April 2020, including in manufacturing that saw a decline of 36,000 jobs in May.

Statistics Canada said the unemployment rate would have been 10.7 percent in May had it included in calculations those people who wanted to work but didn't search for a job.

The number of Canadians working from home held steady at 5.1 million in May.