Canadian Employment Little Changed in March; Unemployment Rate at 6.7%
Labour Force Survey, March 2026
On Friday, Statistics Canada (StatCan) reported that Canadian employment was little changed in March, rising by 14,000 jobs, or 0.1%, following a cumulative decline of 109,000 positions, or 0.5%, over the first two months of 2026.
The increase in March was split between full-time and part-time work, with both categories showing little variation during the month.
Year-over-year, employment was up 87,000 jobs, or 0.4%, in March, largely reflecting gains recorded during the final four months of 2025.
The unemployment rate held steady at 6.7% in March, following a 0.2 percentage point increase in February. StatCan noted that the unemployment rate remained below the 7.1% peak recorded in August and September 2025 and was little changed from a year earlier.
Compared with pre-pandemic levels, unemployment remains elevated. From 2017 to 2019, the average unemployment rate was 6.0%.
FEA compiles the Wood Markets News from various 3rd party sources to provide readers with the latest news impacting forest product markets. Opinions or views expressed in these articles do not necessarily represent those of FEA.