The reference week was just before the Omicron variant became widespread in Canada, causing a surge in cases.
Statistics Canada says the large gains in the two industries reflects the role that both higher-skilled and lower-skilled employment plays in the integration of newcomers into the labour market.
For immigrants who landed more than five years ago, employment rates among the core-aged group was almost 83% in December.
Compared with 2020, the employment rate for visible minorities was up four percentage points to almost 71% in December 2021.
Employment rates increased for some of the largest visible minority groups in Canada, including Southeast Asian, Black, and Filipino Canadians.