CBJ — For the first time since April the nation’s economy lost jobs in December according to figures released by Statistics Canada.

Further provincial and federal lockdowns due to the ongoing global health pandemic is taking its toll economically as well.

The economy shed 63,000 jobs while the unemployment rate moved up to 8.6% compared with 8.5% in November.

The number of full-time jobs actually went up by about 36,500 but there was a big loss of nearly 100,000 part-time jobs with more companies having to work with leaner staff with fewer customers.

Unemployment rate by province (November figures in parenthesis):

• Newfoundland and Labrador 12.3% (12.2)
• Prince Edward Island 10.1% (10.2)
• Nova Scotia 8.6% (6.4)
• New Brunswick 9.3% (9.6)
• Quebec 6.7% (7.2)
• Ontario 9.5% (9.1)
• Manitoba 8.2% (7.4)
• Saskatchewan 7.8% (6.9)
• Alberta 11.0% (11.1)
• British Columbia 7.2% (7.1)

@CanBizJournal