Maple News reports that Canada’s unemployment rate climbed to over 8% in April 2021, following a loss of 207,000 jobs nationally. The decline coincided with stricter public health measures introduced across several provinces in response to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
According to Statistics Canada, data was gathered during the week of April 11 to 17, a period marked by renewed lockdowns and curfews. Ontario enforced a stay-at-home order, Quebec implemented evening curfews, and British Columbia shuttered indoor dining at restaurants and bars. These preventive efforts, while aimed at public safety, had cascading effects across the job market.
The impact was particularly severe in industries heavily staffed by immigrants and essential workers. Retail trade, accommodation and food services, and information, culture and recreation together accounted for most of April’s employment losses.
The retail sector alone shed 84,000 jobs, affected by closures of non-essential businesses, especially in Ontario, Alberta, and parts of Quebec. The accommodation and food services industry lost 59,000 positions, with the majority of job losses in Ontario and B.C. due to restrictions on indoor dining. Meanwhile, the information, culture, and recreation sector dropped 26,000 jobs, struggling to recover amid travel limitations and public gathering restrictions.
Additionally, the number of Canadians working reduced hours rose by 288,000, and remote work increased by 100,000, bringing the total of home-based workers to around 5 million.
Visible minorities continued to face a disproportionately high unemployment rate, rising to nearly 10% in April—half a percentage point higher than in March. In contrast, the unemployment rate among white Canadians remained relatively stable, hovering near 8%.
The data underscores how pandemic-related health measures, although necessary to curb infections, continue to have uneven economic impacts. Immigrants and racialized communities, many of whom occupy frontline and service-sector roles, remain among the most vulnerable.
As Canada navigates the ongoing health crisis, future employment recovery may depend heavily on vaccination progress, the stability of reopening plans, and targeted economic support for hard-hit sectors.