Unemployment in Canada reached 6.6% in August, the highest level since mid-2017 excluding the COVID-19 pandemic. While the labour force grew by 83,000, the country lost nearly 44,000 full-time jobs over the same period.

The employment rate fell 0.1% and unemployment rose 0.2% in August, according to Statistics Canada. Experts fear that weak economic growth in the fall could result in an annual GDP rate of just 0.5% in the third quarter, well below the Bank of Canada’s forecast.

To maintain a stable labour market, Canada needs to create about 50,000 new jobs per month.

Conservative finance critic Jasraj Singh Hallan accused the Trudeau government of failing policies, saying Canadians are barely surviving while the prime minister is preoccupied with elite events and oblivious to their problems.

Anastasia Chupina