Canadian Employment Falls by 68,000 in September; Unemployment at 6.5%
Labour Force Survey, September 2026
On Friday, Statistics Canada (StatCan) reported that Canadian employment fell by 68,000 jobs, or 0.3%, in September, marking the second consecutive monthly decline following a loss of 42,000 jobs (0.2%) in August. Prior to these declines, employment had increased by 181,000 jobs (0.9%) from April through July. Year-over-year, employment was up 95,000 jobs (0.5%).
Employment declined across several industries in September, led by educational services (35,000 jobs or 2.2%); health care and social assistance (23,000 jobs or 0.8%); and manufacturing (13,000 jobs or 0.7%).
These losses were partially offset by an increase in other services, which added 17,000 jobs (2.1%).
Unemployment
The unemployment rate edged up 0.1 percentage points to 6.5% in September, following readings of 6.4% in July and August. Earlier in the year, the rate reached 6.9% in April before declining. September’s unemployment rate matched the 6.5% recorded in January.
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