Despite a third wave of&nbsp;COVID-19, Canada's unemployment rate fell to a post-pandemic low of 7.5 per cent in March as the economy added 303,000 jobs, Statistics Canada said this morning.

That compares to a gain of 259,000 jobs in February, when the unemployment rate was 8.2 per cent.

Canada's statistical agency said the economy added jobs even in some of the areas hit hardest by the pandemic, including retail, accommodation and food services. There were also gains in health care, construction and education.

Where Canada's job market stands one year after the pandemic began

Canada added 259,000 jobs in February, recovering most of the jobs it lost in the previous two months.

A woman checks out a jobs advertisement sign during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. Statistics Canada will say this morning how well the country's job market fared last month.After seeing a historic drop of some three million jobs over March and April, gains since then have recovered just over half of what was lost. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

StatCan Jobs 20200904

Canada's employment rate reached 59.4 per cent in February, as the country added about 259,000 jobs.

In spite of the steady gains, the March increase means 296,000 fewer people are employed in the Canadian economy compared to February 2020, before&nbsp;COVID-19 began to bite into employment. In other words, Canadian unemployment&nbsp;is still about 1.5 per cent above pre-COVID levels.

The impact of a new round of shutdowns&nbsp;does not appear in the March data, which was&nbsp;collected by the statistical agency in the middle of the month.

New job numbers show the economy has been picking up, with more than 300,000 jobs added in March. But the most recent wave of shutdowns is threatening all those gains.

Canada adds jobs, unemployment falls to 7.5% despite 3rd wave of COVID-19

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