Canada Employment

Data Employment

Source: Statistics Canada
Source Link: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/
Frequency: Monthly
Next Release(s): April 3rd, 2026 8:30 AM

Latest Updates

Canada Employment: February 2026 2026-03-13 08:30
Canada’s employment edged down -25k in January (-0.1% MoM) while the unemployment rate fell to 6.5% (-0.3 ppts), reflecting fewer people searching for work.
- The employment rate declined to 60.8% (-0.1 ppts), marking its first decrease since August 2025 after several months of relative stability.
- Part-time employment fell -70k (-1.8%) while full-time employment rose +45k (+0.3%), showing job losses concentrated in part-time work.
- On a YoY basis, total employment was up +134k (+0.6%), driven by full-time gains of +149k (+0.9%), indicating continued longer-term job growth despite the monthly dip.
- The unemployment rate dropped to 6.5% from 6.8% as the number of job seekers fell -94k (-6.1%), making it the lowest rate since September 2024.
- The labour force participation rate decreased to 65.0% (-0.4 ppts), reversing December’s increase and contributing to the lower unemployment rate.
- Employment declined most in manufacturing (-28k; -1.5%), educational services (-24k; -1.5%), and public administration (-10k; -0.8%), while gains were seen in information, culture and recreation (+17k; +2.0%), business support services (+14k; +2.1%), agriculture (+11k; +4.5%), and utilities (+4.2k; +2.5%).
- Provincially, employment fell in Ontario (-67k; -0.8%) but increased in Alberta (+20k; +0.8%), Saskatchewan (+6.1k; +1.0%), and Newfoundland and Labrador (+3.8k; +1.6%), showing divergent regional labor market trends.
- Average hourly wages rose +3.3% YoY to $37.17, easing slightly from +3.4% YoY in December, indicating modest moderation in wage growth.
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Canada’s employment was essentially flat in December 2025 (+8.2k; 0.0% MoM), while the unemployment rate rose to 6.8% (+0.3 ppts) as labor force participation increased.
- Employment rose +8.2k in December after three straight monthly gains in Sep-Nov totaling +181k (+0.9%), keeping the employment rate unchanged at 60.9%.
- The unemployment rate increased to 6.8% (+0.3 ppts), partially offsetting the prior two-month decline of -0.6 ppts; the number of unemployed rose +73k (+4.9%) to 1.6M.
- The participation rate rose to 65.4% (+0.3 ppts), with the unemployment rate increase explicitly attributed to more people searching for work.
- By age, employment increased for those 55+ (+33k; +0.8%) but fell for youth 15-24 (-27k; -1.0%), showing weakness concentrated among younger workers.
- Youth unemployment rose to 13.3% (+0.5 ppts) after conditions improved in Oct-Nov (youth employment +70k; +2.6% and youth unemployment -1.9 ppts over those two months).
- Full-time employment rose +50k (+0.3%) while part-time fell -42k (-1.1%), partially reversing October-November’s cumulative part-time gain of +148k (+3.9%).
- Industry employment gains were led by health care and social assistance (+21k; +0.7%) and “other services” (+15k; +2.0%), while professional, scientific and technical services (-18k; -0.9%), accommodation and food (-12k; -1.0%), and utilities (-5.3k; -3.0%) declined.
- Provincial results were mixed: Quebec added +16k (+0.3%), while Alberta (-14k; -0.5%) and Saskatchewan (-4k; -0.6%) saw declines, and other provinces showed little change.
- Average hourly wages increased +3.4% YoY to $37.06 (+$1.23), easing slightly from +3.6% YoY in November (NSA).
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Canada’s employment rose +54k in November (+0.3% MoM), lifting the employment rate to 60.9% (+0.1 ppt) and lowering the unemployment rate to 6.5% (vs 7.0% expected), down -0.4 ppts from October, marking a third straight month of job gains and a clear improvement from earlier 2025 softness.
- Youth employment drove the increase, rising +50k (+1.8%), while employment among core aged and older workers was little changed, underscoring a rebound after a difficult year for younger workers.
- Industry gains were led by health care and social assistance (+46k; +1.6%), accommodation and food services (+14k; +1.2%), and natural resources (+11k; +3.4%), highlighting strength across several service and goods producing segments.
- Wholesale and retail trade fell -34k (-1.1%), offsetting October’s gain, with the sharpest declines in Ontario (-20k) and Quebec (-9.7k), though the sector remained +44k (+1.5%) above year earlier levels.
- Part time work accounted for the entire monthly increase (+63k; +1.6%), while full time employment was steady, continuing a three month trend where part time growth (+2.7% over three months) outpaced full time (+0.5%).
- Private sector employment rose +52k (+0.4%), while public sector and self employment saw little change, indicating that November’s gains were concentrated in private payrolls.
- The number of unemployed fell by -80k (-5.1%), and the job finding rate among those unemployed in October reached 19.6%, higher than the 18.6% rate one year earlier.
- The youth unemployment rate declined to 12.8% (-1.3 ppts), its second straight drop after peaking at 14.7% in September, while unemployment among core aged workers also eased to 5.6% for men (-0.4 ppts) and 5.5% for women (-0.2 ppts).
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Canada’s employment rose +67k (vs -2.5k expected), or +0.3% MoM, in October 2025, marking a second straight monthly gain. The unemployment rate fell -0.2 ppts to 6.9% (vs 7.1% expected) and the employment rate edged up to 60.8%.
- Employment gains totaled +127k (+0.6%) across September and October, offsetting earlier summer declines (-106k; -0.5%), with growth driven primarily by part-time work (+85k; +2.3%).
- Private sector jobs increased +73k (+0.5%), the first rise since June, while public sector and self-employment were little changed.
- Employment rose among core-aged men (+33k; +0.5%) and youth (+21k; +0.8%), while employment among core-aged women was steady after September’s strong gain.
- The youth unemployment rate fell -0.6 ppts to 14.1%, the first decline since February, while the overall jobless rate dropped to 6.9%, reversing part of recent highs.
- Job gains were concentrated in wholesale and retail trade (+41k; +1.4%), transportation and warehousing (+30k; +2.8%), information, culture, and recreation (+25k; +3.0%), and utilities (+7.6k; +4.6%).
- Construction employment fell -15k (-0.9%), leaving the sector flat YoY but -38k (-2.3%) below its January peak.
- Employment increased in Ontario (+55k; +0.7%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (+4.4k; +1.8%), while it fell in Nova Scotia (-4.4k; -0.8%) and Manitoba (-4.0k; -0.5%).
- Average hourly wages rose +3.5% YoY (+$1.27 to $37.06), following +3.3% in September, continuing moderate wage growth momentum.
- Total hours worked slipped -0.2% MoM due to widespread labor disputes affecting roughly 87k workers, particularly in Alberta’s education sector.
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Canada’s employment rose +60k (+0.3%) in September 2025, lifting the employment rate by +0.1 ppt to 60.6% and marking the first monthly increase in three months, while the unemployment rate held steady at 7.1%.
- Full-time employment rose sharply (+106k; +0.6%), offsetting a -46k (-1.2%) drop in part-time jobs, signaling a shift toward more stable positions.
- Core-aged workers (25–54) drove the gains, with employment rising +76k (+1.2%) among women and +33k (+0.5%) among men, while employment among those aged 55+ fell -44k (-1.0%).
- Youth employment was little changed, but the youth unemployment rate climbed to 14.7%, the highest since 2010 (ex-COVID), driven by higher joblessness among students (17.1%, +3.1 ppts YoY).
- Employment increased in manufacturing (+28k; +1.5%), health care and social assistance (+14k; +0.5%), and agriculture (+13k; +6.1%), while wholesale and retail trade declined (-21k; -0.7%).
- Alberta led job gains (+43k; +1.7%), followed by New Brunswick (+4.7k; +1.2%) and Manitoba (+3.9k; +0.5%); Newfoundland and Labrador saw a decline (-2.2k; -0.9%).
- Public sector employment rose +31k (+0.7%), while the private sector (+22k; +0.2%) and self-employment (+7.9k; +0.3%) saw smaller increases.
- Average hourly wages increased +3.3% YoY (+$1.17 to $36.78), slightly outpacing August’s +3.2% growth.
- Despite September’s rebound, total employment has shown minimal net growth year-to-date (+22k; +0.1%), underscoring a weak trend since early 2025.
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Canada’s employment fell -66k (vs +7.5k expected) in August 2025, the second consecutive monthly decline, while the unemployment rate rose +0.2 ppts to 7.1% (vs 7.0% expected), the highest since 2016 (ex-COVID years).
- The employment rate fell -0.2 ppts to 60.5%, extending a downward trend since January (-0.6 ppts YTD).
- Job losses were concentrated among core-aged men (-58k; -0.8%) and women (-35k; -0.5%), while youth and older workers saw little change.
- By industry, declines were led by professional, scientific & technical services (-26k; -1.3%), transportation & warehousing (-23k; -2.1%), and manufacturing (-19k; -1.0%), partly offset by construction (+17k; +1.1%).
- Regionally, Ontario (-26k; -0.3%), British Columbia (-16k; -0.5%), and Alberta (-14k; -0.6%) posted the largest declines.
- Self-employment fell sharply (-43k; -1.6%), while public and private sector employment was little changed.
- Average hourly wages rose +3.2% YoY to $36.31, while total hours worked were flat MoM (+0.1%) but up +0.9% YoY.
- The unemployment rate for returning students (15–24) averaged 17.9% over summer 2025, the highest since 2009 (ex-COVID).
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Canada’s employment fell -41k (-0.2%) in July 2025, with the employment rate down -0.2 ppts to 60.7%, while the unemployment rate held at 6.9%.
- Youth (15–24) employment dropped -34k (-1.2%), pushing the youth unemployment rate to 14.6%, the highest since 2010 (ex-COVID years).
- Job losses were led by information, culture & recreation (-29k; -3.3%) and construction (-22k; -1.3%); gains were seen in transportation & warehousing (+26k; +2.4%).
- Alberta (-17k; -0.6%) and British Columbia (-16k; -0.5%) saw the largest declines, while Saskatchewan rose +3.5k (+0.6%) to the lowest jobless rate nationally (5.0%).
- Long-term unemployment remained elevated, with 23.8% of unemployed out of work for 27+ weeks — the highest share since 1998 (ex-COVID years).
- Average hourly wages rose +3.3% YoY to $36.16; total hours worked were flat MoM and +0.3% YoY.
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Canada’s employment rose by +83k (+0.4%) in June 2025, the first monthly gain since January, while the unemployment rate edged down -0.1 ppts to 6.9%.
- Job gains were led by core-aged men (+62k; +0.8%) and women (+29k; +0.4%), while youth and older workers saw little change.
- Most of the increase came from part-time work (+70k; +1.8%); full-time was relatively flat.
- Employment rose in retail (+38k; +1.7%) and health care/social assistance (+17k; +0.6%), but fell in agriculture (-6k; -2.6%).
- Unemployment among core-aged women fell to 5.4%, while youth unemployment remained elevated at 14.2%.
- Average hourly wages rose +3.2% YoY to $36.01; total hours worked increased +0.5% MoM and +1.6% YoY.
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Canada’s employment was nearly unchanged in May (+8.8k; +0.0%) while the unemployment rate rose 0.1 ppts to 7.0%, the highest since 2016 (excluding pandemic years).
- Full-time employment rose 58k (+0.3% MoM), while part-time employment fell -49k (-1.3% MoM).
- Private sector jobs rose 61k (+0.4%), but public sector (-21k) and self-employment (-30k) declined.
- Unemployment rose 13.8% YoY to 1.6 million; average duration of unemployment increased to 21.8 weeks.
- Core-aged women’s employment rose +42k (+0.6%) while core-aged men’s fell -31k (-0.4%); their unemployment rates were 5.7% and 6.2%, respectively.
- Employment rose in wholesale/retail (+43k), information/culture (+19k), and finance/real estate (+12k), but fell in public admin (-32k) and accommodation/transport (-16k each).
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Canada’s employment increased 7.4k (vs 2.5k expected) in April, basically no change, and the unemployment rate increased 0.2 ppts to 6.9% (vs 6.8% expected) the highest since November 2024 and the joint highest since January 2017.
- The employment rate declined -0.1 ppts to 60.8% as the participation rate increased 0.1 ppts to 65.3%.
- Full-time employment increased 0.2% MoM, and part-time employment fell -0.6% MoM.
- The number of unemployed increased 2.6% MoM and 13.9% YoY including a -1.6% MoM decline in manufacturing employment and a -0.9% MoM decline in wholesale & retail employment.
- In the prime age 25 to 54 year old segment, employment fell -0.3% MoM and increased 1.4% MoM as the employment rate fell -0.4 ppts to 83.1%.
- Total hours worked increased 0.4% MoM in April and were up 0.9% compared with 12 months earlier.
- Average hourly wages among employees increased 3.4% (+$1.20 to $36.13) on a year-over-year basis in April, following growth of 3.6% in March (not seasonally adjusted).
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Canada’s employment fell -33,000, well below expectations of a 12,000 increase, and the unemployment rate increased 0.1 ppts to 6.7% in March.
- Employment declined in wholesale and retail trade (-29,000; -1.0% MoM), as well as information, culture and recreation (-20,000; -2.4% MoM).
- The employment decline in March was driven by a drop in full-time work (-62,000; -0.4% MoM).
- Private sector employment fell by 48,000 (-0.3% MoM), and public sector employment was little changed for a third consecutive month.
- There were increases in the 'other services', such as personal and repair services (+12,000; +1.5% MoM) and utilities (+4,200; +2.8% MoM).
- Total hours worked rose 0.4% MoM in March, following a decline of -1.3% MoM in February. On a year-over-year basis, total hours worked were up 1.2%.
- Average hourly wages among employees were up 3.6% YoY (+$1.24 to $36.05) in March, following growth of 3.8% YoY in February.
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