Canada Employment Little Changed in March

Employment in Canada edged down by 18,000 in April 2026, following a gain of 14,000 in the prior month and missing forecasts for a 15,000 increase. The result marked a second straight month of limited movement after February’s sharp decline of 84,000 jobs. Full-time employment fell by 47,000, while part-time positions increased by 29,000. Employment levels were broadly unchanged across the private and public sectors, as well as among self-employed workers. The unemployment rate rose among youth aged 15 to 24 to 14.3% and among core-aged men to 6.1%. Regionally, employment declined in Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick, while Ontario added 42,000 jobs. Meanwhile, the employment rate slipped 0.1 percentage points to 60.5%.

Employment in Canada edged up by 0.1% or 14K in March 2026, following a cumulative decline of 109,000 (-0.5%) over the first two months of 2026 and roughly in line with forecasts of a 15K rise. The number of full-time and part-time workers both showed little variation in March. Employment rose in the 'other services' industry (+15,000; +1.9%), which includes personal and repair services, and it also increased in natural resources (+10,000; +3.0%). Employment declined in finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing (-11,000; -0.8%). The employment rate was unchanged at 60.6%, following a cumulative decline of 0.3 percentage points in January and February.

Employment in Canada fell by 83,900 or 0.4% in February 2026, following a 25,000 decrease in January and sharply missing forecasts for a 10,000 increase. The latest figure also marked the sharpest decline since January 2022, with losses concentrated in full-time positions, down 0.6% or 108,400, while part-time employment was little changed, up 24,500 after a drop in January. By sector, employment declined in wholesale and retail trade (-17,900; -0.6%), other services (-13,900, -1.8%), information, culture, and recreation (-12,000, -1.4%), and construction (-11,800; -0.7%). Offsetting gains were seen in transportation and warehousing (+10,300; 0.9%) and public administration (+8,100; 0.7%). Regionally, employment fell sharply in Quebec (-57,000; -1.2%), followed by Saskatchewan (-5,500; -0.9%) and Manitoba (-4,000; -0.5%), while it increased by 2,100 (+0.8%) in Newfoundland and Labrador.