Economists expect the December jobs report to show a loss of jobs to end 2020

Statistics Canada is expected to release its snapshot of the Canadian job market for December this morning. Expectations are for it to show a loss of jobs in what would be the first decline since April.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK

A loss would end a streak of monthly job gains that began in May as restrictions put in place to slow the spread of the pandemic began to ease. The gain in jobs had been slowing in the fall and a fresh round of restrictions to slow a resurgence of the pandemic have been also been put in place.

Financial data firm Refinitiv says economists on average expect the labour force survey to show a loss of 27,500 jobs for December. The unemployment rate is expected to rise to 8.6 per cent compared with 8.5 per cent in November.