Canada’s unemployment rate rose to 6.7% in October 2026 from 6.5% in September, reaching its highest level since April and exceeding expectations that it would remain unchanged at 6.5%. The labour market showed signs of stalling as US tariffs continued to weigh on some sectors. The number of unemployed people increased by 32,800 to 1,507,700. Of these, nearly one-quarter (23.7%) had been unemployed for at least 27 weeks. The share was highest among those aged 55 and over, at 32.7%, while it stood at 25.3% among core-aged workers. Unemployment rates for core-aged people were unchanged for both men (5.8%) and women (5.3%). Young people continued to have the lowest proportion of long-term unemployment, at 15.2%, although their unemployment rate climbed to 13.7% as employment edged lower and more people entered the labour force to seek work. The labor force participation rate was unchanged at 64.8%, while employed persons fell by 4.7 thousand. source: Statistics Canada

Unemployment Rate in Canada increased to 6.70 percent in October from 6.50 percent in September of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Canada averaged 7.54 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 November of 2026.

Unemployment Rate in Canada increased to 6.70 percent in October from 6.50 percent in September of 2026. Unemployment Rate in Canada is expected to be 6.60 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 6.80 percent in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-10-09 12:30 PM
Unemployment Rate
Sep 6.5% 6.4% 6.5% 6.5%
2026-11-06 01:30 PM
Unemployment Rate
Oct 6.7% 6.5% 6.5% 6.5%
2026-12-04 01:30 PM
Unemployment Rate
Nov 6.7%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Average Hourly Wages 38.98 38.74 CAD Oct 2026
Employed Persons 21100.10 21104.80 Thousand Oct 2026
Employment Change -4.70 -68.30 Thousand Oct 2026
Employment Rate 60.50 60.60 percent Oct 2026
Full Time Employment Chg -18.10 -35.40 Thousand Oct 2026
Job Vacancies 510220.00 507715.00 Jun 2026
Participation Rate 64.80 64.80 percent Oct 2026
Labour Costs 134.30 133.49 points Jun 2026
Minimum Wages 17.95 17.60 CAD/Hour Oct 2026
Non Farm Payrolls 18369.00 18418.00 Thousand Aug 2026
Part Time Employment Chg 13.40 -32.90 Thousand Oct 2026
Population 41.61 41.26 Million Dec 2025
Labor Productivity 105.28 104.25 points Jun 2026
Unemployed Persons 1507.70 1474.90 Thousand Oct 2026
Unemployment Rate 6.70 6.50 percent Oct 2026
Average Weekly Earnings YoY 3.70 3.20 percent Aug 2026
Wages 33.10 32.91 CAD/Hour Aug 2026
Wages in Manufacturing 32.21 32.17 CAD/Hour Aug 2026
Youth Unemployment Rate 13.70 13.00 percent Oct 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
6.70 6.50 14.20 2.90 1966 - 2026 percent Monthly
SA

News Stream
Canada Unemployment Rate Unexpectedly Rises
Canada’s unemployment rate rose to 6.7% in October 2026 from 6.5% in September, reaching its highest level since April and exceeding expectations that it would remain unchanged at 6.5%. The labour market showed signs of stalling as US tariffs continued to weigh on some sectors. The number of unemployed people increased by 32,800 to 1,507,700. Of these, nearly one-quarter (23.7%) had been unemployed for at least 27 weeks. The share was highest among those aged 55 and over, at 32.7%, while it stood at 25.3% among core-aged workers. Unemployment rates for core-aged people were unchanged for both men (5.8%) and women (5.3%). Young people continued to have the lowest proportion of long-term unemployment, at 15.2%, although their unemployment rate climbed to 13.7% as employment edged lower and more people entered the labour force to seek work. The labor force participation rate was unchanged at 64.8%, while employed persons fell by 4.7 thousand.
2026-11-06
Canada Unemployment Rate Inches Up as Expected
The unemployment rate in Canada inched up to 6.5% in September 2026 from a two-year low of 6.4% in the previous month, in line with market expectations. The jobless rate remained below its two-year average, when the Canadian economy slowed under the Bank of Canada's aggressive rate-hiking cycle and elevated inflation. The number of unemployed people rose by 15,400 to 1.475 million during the period, even as the labor force participation rate fell by 0.2 percentage points to 64.8%, its lowest level since 1997 when excluding the initial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic. The unemployment rate rose by 0.3 pp to 5.3% for core-aged women, offsetting the 0.2 pp reduction to 5.8% in that for men. The rise in the headline rate coincided with an unexpected 68,300 drop in net employment, contrasting with expectations of a slight increase.
2026-10-09
Canada Unemployment Rate Holds as Expected
The unemployment rate in Canada was unchanged from the previous month at 6.4% in August of 2026, aligned with market expectations. The number of unemployed people rose by 4.8 thousand from the previous month to 1.455 million in the period. In the meantime, net employment sank by 41.7 thousand to 12.173 million, contrasting sharply with expectations of a 15 thousand increase. A large portion of the drop in net employment was owed to a 36.8 thousand drop in the labor force, equivalent to a 0.1 percentage point decline in the participation rate to 65%, thus preventing a drop in the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage points to 6%, while unemployment for core-aged women fell 0.2 percentage points to 5%. The youth unemployment rate rose 0.3 percentage points to 12.9%.
2026-09-04