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News Release - Manitoba

July 10, 2020

Manitoba Releases Labour Force Statistics for June

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Increase in Employment Shows Positive Growth, Shows Manitoba Leading the Country in Student Employment: Fielding

The latest Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada shows Manitoba leads the country in student employment and has recorded an increase of 28,900 in overall employment from May to June, Finance Minister Scott Fielding announced today.
 
“Thanks to the efforts of all Manitobans and based on advice from our public health officials, we continued to move forward in our phased-in approach to restarting our economy and returning Manitobans to work in June,” said Fielding. “With increases in May and June, over 40 per cent of Manitobans who lost employment due to COVID-19 are already back at work.”
 
The province moved forward to Phase Two of Restoring Safe Services:  Manitoba’s Pandemic and Economic Roadmap for Recovery on June 1 and began Phase Three on June 21.
 
New Manitoba labour force statistics show the province fared better than the national average in key categories. Total June employment in Manitoba increased by 28,900, a 4.9 per cent increase from May, when employment increased by 13,100. The provincial labour force increased by 23,600 people in June.
 
Manitoba saw a significant 13.3 per cent increase in part-time jobs, up by 14,200. Full-time employment was up 14,800, a 3.1 per cent increase. 
 
Manitoba youth unemployment in particular decreased 3.5 percentage points to 19.3 per cent, the lowest in Canada. This reflects the focus the provincial government has placed on providing opportunities for students to find work. 
 
Overall, the provincial unemployment rate edged down to 10.1 per cent, the second lowest in the country and below Canada’s rate of 12.3 per cent. The private sector, which includes the self-employed, increased by 25,600, a 5.9 per cent gain from May to June. The national rate for the private sector increased by 6.9 per cent. 
 
The accommodation and food services sector, along with the wholesale and retail trade industry, saw the largest level changes from May to June.
 
“Manitoba is weathering the economic storm through our slow and safe plan to reopen businesses and restore services, and our job market continues to rebound for a second month,” said Fielding. “Our government continues to focus on programs that support employers and employees so even more Manitobans can get back to work.” 
 
To date, the Manitoba Gap Protection Program has provided approximately $44.6 million to more than 7,400 businesses that are ineligible for federal support. The Manitoba Back to Work This Summer Program has provided more than $3 million in supports so more than 220 private-sector employers could hire and re-hire 600 employees. The Summer Student Job Recovery Program has encouraged more than 1,800 employers to apply for $20 million in wage subsidies for more than 4,000 student positions.  
 
More than 1,600 people have applied for the Manitoba Job Restart Program to receive a $2,000 payment if they safely return to work and voluntarily stop collecting the Canada Emergency Response Benefit or the Canada Emergency Student Benefit. 
 
The Manitoba Bureau of Statistics will publish its full June 2020 Labour Force Survey bulletin this afternoon at www.gov.mb.ca/mbs/reports/labour_force_statistics.html.
 
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