The unemployment rate in Canada eased to 6.5% in June of 2026 from 6.6% in the previous month, below market expectations that it would remain unchanged and tying for the lowest since July of 2024. Net employment rose by 18,000 positions to 21,139,700, mostly supported by part-time positions. In the meantime, unemployment fell by 13,200 to 1,469,200. This was aligned with a job finding rate, which is the proportion of unemployed who found a position since May, to 24.3%. The developments translated to an unchanged labor force participation rate of 65.0%, which has remained relatively steady since the start of the year despite the energy supply shocks due to the war in Iran and the exchange of tariffs with the United States. source: Statistics Canada

Unemployment Rate in Canada decreased to 6.50 percent in June from 6.60 percent in May of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Canada averaged 7.55 percent from 1966 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 14.20 percent in May of 2020 and a record low of 2.90 percent in June of 1966. This page provides - Canada Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. Canada Unemployment Rate - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on July of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in Canada decreased to 6.50 percent in June from 6.60 percent in May of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Canada is expected to be 6.80 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Canada Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around 7.30 percent in 2027 and 7.10 percent in 2028, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-06-05 12:30 PM
Unemployment Rate
May 6.6% 6.9% 6.9% 6.9%
2026-07-10 12:30 PM
Unemployment Rate
Jun 6.5% 6.6% 6.6% 7.00%
2026-08-07 12:30 PM
Unemployment Rate
Jul 6.5%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Average Hourly Wages 38.61 38.48 CAD Jun 2026
Employed Persons 21139.70 21121.50 Thousand Jun 2026
Employment Change 18.20 87.80 Thousand Jun 2026
Employment Rate 60.80 60.70 percent Jun 2026
Full Time Employment Chg 0.60 154.00 Thousand Jun 2026
Job Vacancies 506730.00 494905.00 Mar 2026
Participation Rate 65.00 65.00 percent Jun 2026
Labour Costs 133.75 131.95 points Mar 2026
Minimum Wages 17.95 17.60 CAD/Hour Oct 2026
Non Farm Payrolls 18332.00 18310.00 Thousand Apr 2026
Part Time Employment Chg 17.50 -66.20 Thousand Jun 2026
Population 41.65 41.26 Million Dec 2025
Labor Productivity 104.82 104.96 points Dec 2025
Unemployed Persons 1469.20 1482.40 Thousand Jun 2026
Unemployment Rate 6.50 6.60 percent Jun 2026
Average Weekly Earnings YoY 3.80 3.47 percent Apr 2026
Wages 33.00 32.84 CAD/Hour Apr 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 31.95 31.72 CAD/Hour Apr 2026
Youth Unemployment Rate 12.70 13.40 percent Jun 2026


Canada Unemployment Rate
In Canada, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
6.50 6.60 14.20 2.90 1966 - 2026 percent Monthly
SA

News Stream
Canada Unemployment Rate Unexpectedly Drops
The unemployment rate in Canada eased to 6.5% in June of 2026 from 6.6% in the previous month, below market expectations that it would remain unchanged and tying for the lowest since July of 2024. Net employment rose by 18,000 positions to 21,139,700, mostly supported by part-time positions. In the meantime, unemployment fell by 13,200 to 1,469,200. This was aligned with a job finding rate, which is the proportion of unemployed who found a position since May, to 24.3%. The developments translated to an unchanged labor force participation rate of 65.0%, which has remained relatively steady since the start of the year despite the energy supply shocks due to the war in Iran and the exchange of tariffs with the United States.
2026-07-10
Canada Unemployment Rate Unexpectedly Falls
The unemployment rate in Canada fell to 6.6% in May of 2026 from 6.9% in the previous month, the lowest since January and firmly below market expectations that it would remain at 6.9%. The result reflected some fresh resilience in the Canadian labor market after concerns that high energy prices, restrictive interest rates, and tariff exchanges with the US would hamper the domestic job market. The number of unemployed people fell by 84,000 to 1,482,400, with reductions seen for both core aged women and core aged men. In the meantime, net employment surged by 87,800 to 21,121,500, well above market expectations of a 10,000 increase to mark the sharpest job growth since December of 2024. A large portion of the gain in net employment was through job gains on the unemployed population, as the labor force participation rate remained unchanged from the previous month at 65%.
2026-06-05
Canada Unemployment Rate Rises to 6-Month High
The unemployment rate in Canada rose to 6.9% in April of 2026 from 6.7% in the previous month, overshooting expectations that it would remain unchanged at 6.7% to mark the highest jobless rate in six months. The number of unemployed people rose by 51.2 thousand from the previous month, or 3.4%, to 1.566 million. The increase was partially explained by a 33.5 thousand increase in the labor force as more Canadians entered the job market to look for employment, lifting the labor force participation rate by 0.1 percentage points to 65%. In turn, the proportion of the unemployed population that has been looking for work for six months or more was little changed at 22.5%, remaining above the long-term average of 17.1%. The monthly layoff rate was at 0.6%, in line with the pre-pandemic average. Meanwhile, net employment unexpectedly fell by 17.7 thousand, missing expectations of a 15 thousand gain.
2026-05-08