Canadian Employment Rises by 88,000 in May; Unemployment at 6.6%
Original Source:
Labour Force Survey, May 2026
Labour Force Survey, May 2026
On Friday, Statistics Canada (StatCan) reported that Canadian employment rose by 88,000 jobs, or 0.4%, in May, marking the first significant employment gain since November 2025. The increase followed a net decline of 112,000 jobs, or 0.5%, over the first four months of 2026.
The employment rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 60.7%. Year-over-year, employment increased by 147,000 jobs, or 0.7%.
Unemployment
The unemployment rate fell 0.3 percentage points to 6.6% in May. The rate had previously increased from a recent low of 6.5% in January to 6.9% in April.
The unemployment rate has remained above its 2017–19 average of 6.0% since spring 2024. The rate reached a recent peak of 7.1% in August and September 2025.
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