The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario says that overall, the labor market in the province has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, but the recovery has been uneven across sectors and regions.

The Chief Financial Officer issued a report today stating that Ontario's labor market performed well in 2021, with an increase of 344,800 jobs and a decrease in the unemployment rate to eight percent from 9.6 percent in 2020.

However, the FAO says that employment among young workers and people in low-wage jobs that deal with customers, such as food services and retail, remains below 2019 levels, as is the case in the labor market in 11 out of 16 major cities in Ontario.

Many sectors employing a large percentage of women were reopened in 2021, and female employment in Ontario grew faster than male workers, but the total female employment last year was still below pre-pandemic levels, with a particularly weak recovery among females.

Earlier this year, with the reimposition of some COVID-19 restrictions due to the Omicron variant, the report says 145,700 jobs were lost, and the unemployment rate rose more than a full percentage point, from 6.1 percent in December to 7.3 percent in January.

But the labor market is expected to recover quickly as restrictions are lifted this month and next month.

Edited by: Dima Abu Khair