Canadian employment fell by 4,700 in October 2026, improving from a steep 68,300 decline in September but missing expectations for a 13,600 increase. Private-sector employment dropped by 53,000 (-0.4%), its first decline since February, while public-sector employment rose by 50,000 (+1.1%). Wholesale and retail trade shed 29,000 jobs (-1.0%), while construction added 16,000 (+0.9%) and educational services gained 15,000 (+1.0%). Employment declined in Alberta (-24,000; -0.9%) and Prince Edward Island (-1,300; -1.3%), but increased in British Columbia (+12,000; +0.4%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (+2,900; +1.2%). On a yearly basis, employment was nearly unchanged, rising by just 17,000 (+0.1%). The employment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 60.5%, marking its third consecutive monthly decline. source: Statistics Canada

Employment in Canada decreased by 4.70 in October of 2026. Employment Change in Canada averaged 18.67 Thousand from 1976 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 1035.80 Thousand in June of 2020 and a record low of -1991.40 Thousand in April of 2020. This page provides the latest reported value for - Canada Employment Change - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Canada Employment Change - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on November of 2026.

Employment in Canada decreased by 4.70 in October of 2026. Employment Change in Canada is expected to be 30.00 Thousand by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Canada Employment Change is projected to trend around 63.00 Thousand in 2027 and 55.00 Thousand in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-10-09 12:30 PM
Employment Change
Sep -68.3K -41.7K 7K 65K
2026-11-06 01:30 PM
Employment Change
Oct -4.7K -68.3K 13.6K 14.0K
2026-12-04 01:30 PM
Employment Change
Nov -4.7K


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Average Hourly Wages 38.98 38.74 CAD Oct 2026
Employed Persons 21100.10 21104.80 Thousand Oct 2026
Employment Change -4.70 -68.30 Thousand Oct 2026
Employment Rate 60.50 60.60 percent Oct 2026
Full Time Employment Chg -18.10 -35.40 Thousand Oct 2026
Job Vacancies 510220.00 507715.00 Jun 2026
Participation Rate 64.80 64.80 percent Oct 2026
Labour Costs 134.30 133.49 points Jun 2026
Minimum Wages 17.95 17.60 CAD/Hour Oct 2026
Non Farm Payrolls 18369.00 18418.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Part Time Employment Chg 13.40 -32.90 Thousand Oct 2026
Population 41.61 41.26 Million Dec 2025
Labor Productivity 105.28 104.25 points Jun 2026
Unemployed Persons 1507.70 1474.90 Thousand Oct 2026
Unemployment Rate 6.70 6.50 percent Oct 2026
Average Weekly Earnings YoY 3.70 3.20 percent Aug 2026
Wages 33.10 32.91 CAD/Hour Aug 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 32.21 32.17 CAD/Hour Aug 2026
Youth Unemployment Rate 13.70 13.00 percent Oct 2026


Canada Employment Change
In Canada, employment change refers to the change in the number of persons who work for pay or profit, or perform unpaid family work. Estimates include both full-time and part-time employment.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-4.70 -68.30 1035.80 -1991.40 1976 - 2026 Thousand Monthly
Volume, SA

News Stream
Canadian Employment Unexpectedly Falls in October
Canadian employment fell by 4,700 in October 2026, improving from a steep 68,300 decline in September but missing expectations for a 13,600 increase. Private-sector employment dropped by 53,000 (-0.4%), its first decline since February, while public-sector employment rose by 50,000 (+1.1%). Wholesale and retail trade shed 29,000 jobs (-1.0%), while construction added 16,000 (+0.9%) and educational services gained 15,000 (+1.0%). Employment declined in Alberta (-24,000; -0.9%) and Prince Edward Island (-1,300; -1.3%), but increased in British Columbia (+12,000; +0.4%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (+2,900; +1.2%). On a yearly basis, employment was nearly unchanged, rising by just 17,000 (+0.1%). The employment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 60.5%, marking its third consecutive monthly decline.
2026-11-06
Canada Employment Drops the Most in 7 Months
Employment in Canada declined by 68,300 in September 2026, the steepest decline in seven months and missing expectations for a 7,000 increase, up from a 41,700 decline in August. This marked the second consecutive monthly decline, with both full-time and part-time employment falling by 0.2% and 0.9%, respectively. Public sector employment dropped by 70,000, extending its decline to a fourth consecutive month, while private sector employment was little changed for the second month in a row. Self-employment also edged down by 23,000. Youth employment fell by 48,000, marking its second consecutive monthly decline. By industry, employment decreased in educational services (-2.2%), health care and social assistance (-0.8%), and manufacturing (-0.7%). By province, the largest declines were recorded in Quebec (-1.1%), British Columbia (-0.7%), and Manitoba (-0.6%). The employment rate edged down to 60.6% from 60.8%. On an annual basis, employment was up by 95,000 or 0.5%.
2026-10-09
Canada Employment Unexpectedly Declines
Employment in Canada declined by 41,700 in August 2026, missing expectations for a 15,000 increase and following a 75,100 gain in July. Employment fell in business, building and other support services (-2.8%), public administration (-0.7%), natural resources (-2.3%), and utilities (-3.5%), while manufacturing employment increased 1.2%. By province, employment declined in Quebec (-0.4%) and edged down in Ontario (-0.2%), while it increased in New Brunswick (0.6%) and was little changed elsewhere. By age group, employment fell among youth aged 15 to 24 (-0.7%) and edged down among core-age workers aged 25 to 54 (-0.1%). Public-sector employment fell 0.4%, marking a third consecutive monthly decline, while private-sector employment was little changed. The employment rate decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 60.8%. Year-on-year, employment increased by 217,000 in August.
2026-09-04