The unemployment rate in Canada fell to 6.4% in July of 2026 from 6.5% in the previous month, under market expectations that it would remain unchanged, to mark the lowest jobless rate in two years. Net employment rose by 75,100, well above market expectations of a 15,000 increase, to mark a third straight rise in jobs. Meanwhile unemployment fell by 14,500 to 1,455,000. The unemployment rate fell to a record low of 5.2% for core-aged women, firmly below that for core-aged men (5.8%). Meanwhile, the youth unemployment rate fell to 12.6% from 12.7% in the previous month. The rise in net jobs and drop in unemployment corresponded to a 0.1 percentage point increase in the labor force participation rate to 65.1%, the highest so far this year. source: Statistics Canada

Unemployment Rate in Canada decreased to 6.40 percent in July from 6.50 percent in June 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 August of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in Canada decreased to 6.40 percent in July from 6.50 percent in June of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Canada is expected to be 6.50 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
2026-07-10 12:30 PM
Unemployment Rate
Jun 6.5% 6.6% 6.6% 7.00%
2026-08-07 12:30 PM
Unemployment Rate
Jul 6.4% 6.5% 6.5% 6.5%
2026-09-04 12:30 PM
Unemployment Rate
Aug 6.4% 6.4%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Average Hourly Wages 38.61 38.48 CAD Jun 2026
Employed Persons 21214.80 21139.70 Thousand Jul 2026
Employment Change 75.10 18.20 Thousand Jul 2026
Employment Rate 60.90 60.80 percent Jul 2026
Full Time Employment Chg 38.60 0.60 Thousand Jul 2026
Job Vacancies 506730.00 494905.00 Mar 2026
Participation Rate 65.10 65.00 percent Jul 2026
Labour Costs 133.75 131.95 points Mar 2026
Minimum Wages 17.95 17.60 CAD/Hour Oct 2026
Non Farm Payrolls 18393.00 18369.00 Thousand May 2026
Part Time Employment Chg 36.60 17.50 Thousand Jul 2026
Population 41.65 41.26 Million Dec 2025
Labor Productivity 104.82 104.96 points Dec 2025
Unemployed Persons 1454.70 1469.20 Thousand Jul 2026
Unemployment Rate 6.40 6.50 percent Jul 2026
Average Weekly Earnings YoY 3.40 3.67 percent May 2026
Wages 33.05 32.92 CAD/Hour May 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 32.07 31.89 CAD/Hour May 2026
Youth Unemployment Rate 12.60 12.70 percent Jul 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
6.40 6.50 14.20 2.90 1966 - 2026 percent Monthly
SA

News Stream
Canada Unemployment Rate Falls to 2-Year Low
The unemployment rate in Canada fell to 6.4% in July of 2026 from 6.5% in the previous month, under market expectations that it would remain unchanged, to mark the lowest jobless rate in two years. Net employment rose by 75,100, well above market expectations of a 15,000 increase, to mark a third straight rise in jobs. Meanwhile unemployment fell by 14,500 to 1,455,000. The unemployment rate fell to a record low of 5.2% for core-aged women, firmly below that for core-aged men (5.8%). Meanwhile, the youth unemployment rate fell to 12.6% from 12.7% in the previous month. The rise in net jobs and drop in unemployment corresponded to a 0.1 percentage point increase in the labor force participation rate to 65.1%, the highest so far this year.
2026-08-07
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