Statistics Canada says that employment fell in January to its lowest level since August.
Employment fell by 213,000. Losses were entirely in part-time work and were concentrated in the Quebec and Ontario retail trade sectors.
The decline in January followed a 53,000 drop in December.
Compared with February 2020, employment was down 858,000 in January and COVID-related absences from work were up 529,000.
The unemployment rate rose 0.6 percentage points to 9.4%, the highest rate since August 2020.
Employment rose in Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and held steady in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and New Brunswick.