Released: 2026-09-04
Select geography
Canada
Newfoundland and Labrador
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Quebec
Ontario
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Alberta
British Columbia
Employment level — Canada
21,173,000
August 2026
-0.2% 
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — Canada
6.4%
August 2026
0.0 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — N.L.
245,000
August 2026
0.6% 
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — N.L.
8.6%
August 2026
-0.7 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — P.E.I.
96,000
August 2026
-0.4%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — P.E.I.
7.9%
August 2026
1.1 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — N.S.
541,000
August 2026
0.5%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — N.S.
6.1%
August 2026
-0.1 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — N.B.
409,000
August 2026
0.6%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — N.B.
7.3%
August 2026
0.3 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — Que.
4,589,000
August 2026
-0.4%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — Que.
5.6%
August 2026
0.0 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — Ont.
8,307,000
August 2026
-0.2%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — Ont.
6.9%
August 2026
0.1 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — Man.
756,000
August 2026
0.1%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — Man.
5.0%
August 2026
0.0 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — Sask.
622,000
August 2026
0.4%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — Sask.
6.0%
August 2026
0.0 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — Alta.
2,661,000
August 2026
-0.3%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — Alta.
6.8%
August 2026
-0.2 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — B.C.
2,949,000
August 2026
-0.2%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — B.C.
6.5%
August 2026
0.3 pts
(monthly change)
Highlights
Employment declined by 42,000 (-0.2%) in August and the employment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 60.8%. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.4%.
Employment fell among youth aged 15 to 24 (-19,000; -0.7%) and edged down (-16,000; -0.1%) among people in the core-age (25 to 54 years old).
While the overall unemployment rate was unchanged in August, it increased among core-aged men (+0.2 percentage points to 6.0%) and fell for core-aged women (-0.2 percentage points to 5.0%). The unemployment rate was little changed for youth (12.9%) and people aged 55 and older (5.1%).
Employment declined in business, building and other support services (-20,000; -2.8%), public administration (-8,800; -0.7%), natural resources (-7,700; -2.3%) and utilities (-5,600; -3.5%), while it increased in manufacturing (+22,000; +1.2%).
Employment declined in Quebec (-19,000; -0.4%) and edged down in Ontario (-18,000; -0.2%). Employment increased in New Brunswick (+2,400; +0.6%) and was little changed in the other provinces.
Average hourly wages among employees were up 2.0% (+$0.71 to $37.02) on a year-over-year basis in August, following growth of 2.8% in July (not seasonally adjusted).
Employment declines in August
Employment fell by 42,000 (-0.2%) in August. The decrease follows a cumulative increase of 181,000 (+0.9%) from April to July. On a year-over-year basis, employment was up by 217,000 (+1.0%) in August.
The employment rate—the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who are employed—decreased by 0.1 percentage points to 60.8% in August. The employment rate in August was on par with the rate recorded at the start of the year, and up 0.3 percentage points compared with August 2025.
Chart 1
Employment rate decreases in August
The number of public sector employees fell in August (-20,000; -0.4%), down for the third consecutive month. Since May, the number of public sector employees has declined by 78,000 (-1.7%) and was little changed in August compared with a year earlier.
Employment was little changed among private sector employees in August but was up by 156,000 (+1.1%) year over year. Similarly, self-employment was little changed in August compared with the previous month but increased by 80,000 (+3.0%) compared with 12 months earlier.
Unemployment rate unchanged at 6.4%
The unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.4% in August. This follows three consecutive monthly declines in May, June and July totalling 0.5 percentage points.
Chart 2
Unemployment rate unchanged at 6.4% in August
Among the 1.5 million people who were unemployed in August, 24.0% were in long-term unemployment, meaning they had been continuously searching for work for 27 weeks or more. This proportion was similar to that of August 2025 (23.0%) and remained above the pre-COVID-19 pandemic average of 17.1% recorded from 2017 to 2019.
The layoff rate was 0.8% in August, slightly below the rate of 1.0% observed 12 months earlier and similar to the average layoff rate (0.9%) observed for the corresponding months from 2017 to 2019 (not seasonally adjusted). The layoff rate refers to the proportion of people who became unemployed due to a layoff between July and August.
Industries dependent on US demand for exports continue to face an uncertain economic context, compounded by the recent imposition of new US tariffs on Canadian exports. In the 12 months to August, the layoff rate averaged 0.9% for workers in industries dependent on US demand for exports. In comparison, the rate was 0.7% for other industries over the same period. For more information about the labour dynamics of industries dependent on US demand for exports, see “Recent employment trends in industries dependent on U.S. demand” and “United States tariffs and Canadian labour market trends.”
The participation rate—the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who were employed or looking for work—fell 0.1 percentage points to 65.0% in August, offsetting a similar-sized increase in July. On a year-over-year basis, the participation rate was little changed.
Unemployment rate rises among core-aged men
In August, the unemployment rate for core-aged men (25 to 54 years old) rose 0.2 percentage points to 6.0%, as more men in this age group entered the labour market and searched for work. Employment held steady for core-aged men and the employment rate was unchanged at 86.5%.
Compared with 12 months earlier, the unemployment rate for core-aged men was down 0.3 percentage points and the employment rate was up 0.6 percentage points.
Among core-aged women, the unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 5.0% in August, as the labour force declined by 31,000 (-0.4%) and the number searching for work fell slightly. Employment for core-aged women edged down (-17,000; -0.3%).
The employment rate for core-aged women fell 0.3 percentage points to 80.9% in August, following a five-month cumulative increase of 1.1 percentage points. Despite the decline in August, the employment rate for core-aged women was up on a year-over-year basis (+1.5 percentage points) and remained higher than the corresponding pre-pandemic average of 79.1% observed from 2017 to 2019.
Infographic 1
Employment rate by age group, August 2026
Infographic 2
Unemployment rate by age group, August 2026
For people aged 55 and older, the unemployment rate was little changed at 5.1%, as employment held steady. The employment rate for people between the ages of 55 and 64 was 64.3% in August, little changed both in the month and on a year-over-year basis.
Youth employment declines
Employment among youth fell by 19,000 (-0.7%) in August. The youth employment rate was little changed at 55.1% in the month and was up by 1.2 percentage points from 12 months earlier.
The unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 24 edged up 0.3 percentage points to 12.9% in August, following a net decline of 1.7 percentage points from April to July. The youth unemployment rate in August was 1.4 percentage points lower than a year earlier (14.3%) but remained higher than the pre-pandemic average of 10.8% recorded from 2017 to 2019.
More favourable summer job market for returning students in 2026 compared with previous year
From May to August, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) collects labour market information from students who attended school full time in March and who intend to return to school full time in the fall.
The unemployment rate for returning students aged 15 to 24 was 15.6% in August, down 1.3 percentage points from 12 months earlier (16.9%) (not seasonally adjusted). On average from May to August 2026, the unemployment rate for returning students was 15.9%, down from 17.9% during this same period in 2025.
Chart 3
Unemployment rate for returning students during the summer months, 1977 to 2026
The decrease in the unemployment rate from the summer of 2025 to the summer of 2026 was more pronounced for older returning students. Among returning students aged 20 to 24, the unemployment rate was 9.2% in the summer of 2026, down from 12.3% in the summer of 2025. For returning students aged 17 to 19, the unemployment rate was 16.7%, down from 18.5% in 2025. Meanwhile, among the youngest returning students—aged 15 to 16—the unemployment rate was 29.9% this summer, little changed from the rate in 2025 (29.6%).
Employment declines spread across several industries, while manufacturing rises
Employment declined in business, building and other support services (-20,000; -2.8%), public administration (-8,800; -0.7%), natural resources (-7,700; -2.3%), and utilities (-5,600; -3.5%) in August. Despite recording monthly declines, employment in these four industries was little changed on a year-over-year basis.
Chart 4
Employment change by industry, August 2026
Manufacturing (+22,000; +1.2%) was the only sector to record a significant increase in employment in August, with most of that increase (+14,000; +1.7%) in Ontario. On a year-over-year basis, employment in this sector was little changed, as the increase in August offset decreases earlier in the year.
Over the 12 months to August, employment growth was concentrated in health care and social assistance (+129,000; +4.5%), information, culture and recreation (+49,000; +5.9%) and transportation and warehousing (+47,000; +4.4%). On the other hand, wholesale and retail trade (-55,000; -1.8%) recorded the largest decline across industries over the same period.
Year-over-year growth in average hourly wages decelerates for the second consecutive month
Average hourly wages among employees in August were up 2.0% (to $37.02) year over year, following growth of 2.8% in July and 3.3% in June (not seasonally adjusted).
Chart 5
Year-over-year change (%) in average hourly wages
Year-over-year growth in average hourly wages had remained robust through the post-pandemic period, and averaged 4.9% over 2023 and 2024, before decelerating to an average of 3.4% in 2025. Wage growth in August 2026 was the slowest since November 2017 (when it was also 2.0%), excluding the year 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Year-over-year wage growth was slower for employees with lower wages in August. For employees in the bottom 25% of the wage distribution, average hourly wages were up 1.1% (to $18.66) year over year, while they were up 1.3% (to $26.61) for employees in the second lowest 25% of the wage distribution. In comparison, wages grew faster for employees in the third (+2.1% to $37.99) and top (+2.1% to $65.15) quartiles.
Employment declines in Quebec
Employment in Quebec declined by 19,000 (-0.4%) in August, following little change in July. The decline in employment was concentrated in the census metropolitan area (CMA) of Montréal (-21,000; -0.9%). In August, Quebec was the only province to record a year-over-year decline in employment (-54,000; -1.2%). The unemployment rate in the province held steady at 5.6% in August and was little changed year over year. In the Montréal CMA, the unemployment rate was 6.5% in August, little changed both in the month and on a year-over-year basis.
Map 1
Unemployment rate by province and territory, August 2026
Employment edged down in Ontario (-18,000; -0.2%), following a net increase of 119,000 (+1.5%) from March to July. On a year-over-year basis, employment in the province was up by 116,000 (+1.4%) in August. The unemployment rate in Ontario was 6.9% in August, little changed from the previous month, and down 0.8 percentage points compared with August 2025. In the Toronto CMA, the unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.7% in August and was down from a recent high of 9.0% observed in July 2025.
In New Brunswick, employment increased by 2,400 (+0.6%) in August, following three months of little change. The unemployment rate in the province was little changed at 7.3%. There was little variation in employment in the other provinces.
Sustainable Development Goals
On January 1, 2016, the world officially began implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—the United Nations’ transformative plan of action that addresses urgent global challenges over the next 15 years. The plan is based on 17 specific sustainable development goals.
The Labour Force Survey is an example of how Statistics Canada supports the reporting on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. This release will be used in helping to measure the following goals:
Note to readers
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates for August reflect labour market conditions during the reference week of August 9 to 15, 2026.
The sample size of the LFS is approximately 65,000 households, representing over 100,000 respondents each month. For more information, see the Guide to the Labour Force Survey.
This analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 68% confidence level. Monthly estimates may show more sampling variability than trends observed over longer periods. For more information, see “Interpreting Monthly Changes in Employment from the Labour Force Survey.”
LFS estimates at the Canada level do not include the territories.
The LFS estimates are the first in a series of labour market indicators released by Statistics Canada, which includes indicators from programs such as the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH); Employment Insurance Statistics; and the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey. For more information on the conceptual differences between employment measures from the LFS and those from the SEPH, refer to section 8 of the Guide to the Labour Force Survey.
The employment rate is the number of employed people as a percentage of the population aged 15 years and older. The rate for a particular group (for example, youth aged 15 to 24 years) is the number employed in that group as a percentage of the population for that group.
The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force (employed and unemployed).
The participation rate is the number of employed and unemployed people as a percentage of the population aged 15 years and older.
Full-time employment consists of persons who usually work 30 hours or more per week at their main or only job.
Part-time employment consists of persons who usually work less than 30 hours per week at their main or only job.
Total hours worked refers to the number of hours actually worked at the main job by the respondent during the reference week, including paid and unpaid hours. These hours reflect temporary decreases or increases in work hours (for example, hours lost due to illness, vacation, holidays or weather; or more hours worked due to overtime).
This release refers to the gender of a person. The category “men” includes men, as well as some non-binary persons. The category “women” includes women, as well as some non-binary persons. Given that the non-binary population is small, data aggregation to a two-category gender variable is necessary to protect the confidentiality of responses provided.
Seasonal adjustment
Unless otherwise stated, estimates presented in this release are seasonally adjusted, which facilitates comparisons by removing the effects of typical seasonal variations. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data: Concepts and interpretation.
Population totals in the Labour Force Survey
The LFS target population includes all persons aged 15 years and older whose usual place of residence is in Canada, with some exceptions (those living on reserves, full-time members of the regular Armed Forces and persons living in institutions). The target population includes temporary residents—that is, those with a valid work or study permit, their families, and refugee claimants—as well as permanent residents (landed immigrants) and the Canadian-born.
Information gathered from LFS respondents is weighted to represent the survey target population using population calibration totals. These totals are updated each month, using the most recently available information on population changes derived from Canada’s official population estimates, with minor adjustments being made to reflect the LFS target population.
While the LFS population totals are generally aligned with official demographic estimates, the official estimates should be considered the official measure of population change in Canada. More information on how population totals in the LFS are calculated can be found in the article “Interpreting population totals from the Labour Force Survey.”
Next release
The next release of the LFS will be on October 9, 2026. September 2026 data will reflect labour market conditions during the week of September 13 to 19.
Products
More information about the concepts and use of the Labour Force Survey is available online in the Guide to the Labour Force Survey (Catalogue number71-543-G).
The product “Labour Force Survey in brief: Interactive app” (Catalogue number14200001) is also available. This interactive visualization application provides seasonally adjusted estimates by province, gender, age group and industry.
The product “Labour Market Indicators, by province and census metropolitan area, seasonally adjusted” (Catalogue number71-607-X) is also available. This interactive dashboard provides customizable access to key labour market indicators.
The product “Labour Market Indicators, by province, territory and economic region, unadjusted for seasonality” (Catalogue number71-607-X) is also available. This dynamic web application provides access to labour market indicators for Canada, provinces, territories and economic regions.
The product “Labour market indicators, census metropolitan areas, census agglomerations and self-contained labour areas: Interactive dashboard” (Catalogue number71-607-X) is also available. This dashboard allows users to visually explore the estimates using an interactive map as well as time series charts and tables.
The product Labour Force Survey: Public Use Microdata File (Catalogue number71M0001X) is also available. This public use microdata file contains non-aggregated data for a wide variety of variables collected from the Labour Force Survey. The data have been modified to ensure that no individual or business is directly or indirectly identified. This product is for users who prefer to do their own analysis by focusing on specific subgroups in the population or by cross-classifying variables that are not in our catalogued products.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).