Ottawa-Gatineau loses 24,000 jobs in May as pandemic continued

OTTAWA -- The Ottawa-Gatineau economy lost 24,000 jobs in May as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to force businesses to remain closed.

Statistics Canada says the unemployment rate dropped from 6.9 per cent in April to 8.4 per cent in May.

The Ottawa-Gatineau economy has lost approximately 70,000 jobs since the COVID-19 pandemic began in mid-March.

Across Canada, the unemployment rate hit a record high in May at 13.7 per cent, topping the previous high of 13.1 per cent set in December 1982.

The Canadian economy added 289,600 jobs in May as businesses began to reopen, but Statistics Canada reports more people were looking for work last month.

Three million jobs were lost across Canada in March and April, and about 2.5 million more had their hours cut.

With files from the Canadian Press