COVID-19 Weekly Update: July 31st – August 7th
|News|
Every Friday, we publish a weekly update on COVID-19 and its effect on business.
Canada Adds 419,000 jobs in July
While the new addition of jobs is still 1.3M below pre-COVID-19 levels, it is in line with the expectations of economists. As reported by CBC:
Statistics Canada reported that July's job gain, when added to the 953,000 in June and the 290,000 from May, still leaves Canada's economy with 1.3 million fewer jobs than it had in February, before widespread lockdowns to limit the spread of COVID-19 began. Put another way, that means the job market has returned to about 93 percent of its previous capacity.
The jobless rate fell 1.4 percentage points for the second consecutive month and is now down from the record high of 13.7 percent it hit in May. For comparison purposes, Canada's jobless rate was 5.6 percent in February, before this ongoing pandemic began.
The data agency said 345,000 of the new jobs added in July were part-time. Only 73,000 were new full-time positions.
While every province added jobs, the recovery was led by Ontario with 151,000 new jobs, followed by Quebec with 98,000, B.C. with 70,000, and Alberta with 68,000 new jobs.
Every other province recorded a comparatively small gain of under 13,000 new jobs apiece.
The Government of Canada Announces New Measures to Support Remote Communities
"While we continue to work together to limit the spread of COVID-19, we must also ensure remote communities continue to have the air connectivity they need for essential goods and services, travel, and business. Our work with the provinces and territories on these measures will allow for reliable air services to keep remote communities connected to the rest of the country." -Minister of Transport, The Honourable Marc Garneau
COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the aviation industry – including its ability to serve remote communities with essentials goods and services. Per the Government of Canada's website, new measures include:
Seeking bilateral agreements with provinces and territories to ensure continuity of service for at least six months.
Establishing a $75-million funding program for the federal contribution for the first six months and maintaining these essential services through an investment of up to $174 million over 18 months, if needed.
Additional funding will depend on the needs of communities and the pace of recovery of air travel into remote communities.
This funding, in partnership with contributions by the provincial and territorial governments, will ensure minimum levels of essential transportation services to remote communities and ensure the continued supply of food, medical supplies, and other essential goods and services.
While the coronavirus continues to spread quickly, it is important to remember that only a small percentage of patients need special treatment to recover. Trusted health experts continue to emphasize that the general population shouldn't panic and should instead focus on practicing proper hygiene, such as hand-washing and refraining from touching the facial area.
Stay up to date on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by visiting the World Health Organization and the Government of Canada website.
View our full library of COVID-19 resources here.
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