Canadian Payroll Employment Falls in December

On Thursday, Statistics Canada (StatCan) reported that payroll employment fell 0.2% in December 2025, a decline of 35,400 jobs. Year-over-year, payroll employment was 0.2% lower, or 28,300 jobs.

Payroll employment decreased in 9 of the 20 sectors. Manufacturing fell 0.5%, or 7,400 positions; wholesale trade declined 0.8%, or 6,300 jobs; transportation and warehousing dropped 0.7%, or 5,900 positions; accommodation and food services slipped 0.4%, or 5,000 jobs; and educational services edged down 0.3%, or 4,600 positions.

Just two sectors posted gains in December. Construction rose 0.2%, adding 2,600 jobs, while health care and social assistance increased 1%, up 2,300 positions.

Job vacancies rose 4.8%, or 23,700, to 514,600 in December—the highest level since 516,900 in March 2025. Year-over-year, vacancies were down 3.8%, or 20,500. There were 3.0 unemployed persons for every vacancy in December, unchanged from November.

There were 1.6 million people unemployed in December, an increase of 4.9%, or 73,000.