Canada’s jobless rate soars even as economy adds new jobs

OTTAWA — The jobless rate soared to a record high 13.7 per cent last month.
But Statistics Canada reports the economy added 289-thousand, 600 jobs as provinces started lifting COVID-19 restrictions and some businesses re-opened.
The unemployment rate for May would have been 19.6 per cent if the report factored in people who stopped looking for work.
This morning Bombardier announced it was cutting 2500 workers from its aircraft-making division as demand for its private jets has plummeted. In Prince George, the unemployment rate in May was 11.8 per cent, up from 10.1 per cent in April. B.C.’s unemployment rate in May was 13.4 per cent, up from 11.5 per cent the month before.