Statistics Canada says the economy added 303,000 jobs in March as employment increased, with gains in sectors hardest hit by public health restrictions.

In March, Statistics Canada says there were about 95,000 more retail jobs, fully recouping losses sustained in January lockdowns, and an employment bump of 21,000 in the accommodation and food services sector.

Nationally, the unemployment rate in March was 7.5 per cent, an improvement over February’s 8.2 per cent.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, the unemployment rate dropped by almost three percentage points from 15.3 in February to 12.4 last month. We were the only province to have double-digit unemployment.