Numbers released Friday show Manitoba added thousands of jobs in July, with jobs now nearing pre-pandemic levels.
Statistics Canada says the prairie province saw 12,000 new jobs last month, and job numbers are now at 94.7 per cent of what they were in February.
Premier Brian Pallister said despite the numbers, the province is extending some programs to help people get back to work and businesses survive.
That includes the Manitoba Gap Protection Program, which will see applications extended until Oct. 31.
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To keep the job numbers healthy, Pallister said Manitobans need to be diligent about preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“The success we had … is entirely due to our willingness to follow the fundamentals” of preventing the spread, said Pallister.
“If you care, act like it. Follow the fundamentals.”
The province will launch an awareness campaign focused on masks, handwashing and physical distancing, he added.
Numbers across Canada
Across the country, the numbers were similar.
Statistics Canada says the country’s labour market gained 419,000 jobs in July as more parts of the economy were allowed to reopen amid COVID-19.
The agency says the national unemployment rate was 10.9 per cent in July, down from the 12.3 per cent recorded in June.
The figures beat market expectations, with the average economist estimate from financial markets data firm Refinitiv at a gain of 400,000 jobs in July and an unemployment rate of 11 per cent.
Combined with the 953,000 jobs gained in June and the 290,000 in May, the country was within 1.3 million jobs of its pre-pandemic level.
-With files from the Canadian Press
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