Statistics Canada says the economy added nearly one million jobs in June as businesses forced closed by the pandemic began to reopen.
The agency says 953,000 jobs were added last month, including 488,000 full-time and 465,000 part-time positions.
The unemployment rate fell to 12.3 per cent in June after hitting a record-high of 13.7 per cent in May.
As in May, even though more people found jobs, more people were also looking for work.
The average economist estimate for June had been for an addition of 700,000 jobs and the unemployment rate to fall to 12.0 per cent, according to financial data firm Refinitiv.
Statistics Canada says the unemployment rate would have been 16.3 per cent had it included in unemployment counts those who wanted to work, but did not look for a job.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2020.
