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.

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).

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).

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.

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.