Statistics Canada to release December labour force survey report this morning

OTTAWA – Statistics Canada will release its latest jobs report this morning.

The labour force survey for December is expected to provide a picture of how the economy was faring just before COVID-19 infections began spiking due to the Omicron variant.

The Canadian economy added 153,700 jobs in November, dropping the unemployment rate to six per cent.

Economists at CIBC expect the December jobs report to show a gain of 15,000 jobs and an unemployment rate of 6.1 per cent to close out the year.

However, the rise in COVID-19 cases and the associated public health restrictions are expected to take their toll on the economy for January.

The highly transmissible Omicron variant has fuelled record breaking COVID-19 case numbers and prompted the return of more restrictive rules across the country.