Released: 2025-12-05
Select geography
Canada
Newfoundland and Labrador
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Quebec
Ontario
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Alberta
British Columbia
Employment level — Canada
21,136,000
November 2025
0.3% 
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — Canada
6.5%
November 2025
-0.4 pts 
(monthly change)
Employment level — N.L.
244,000
November 2025
-0.4%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — N.L.
10.4%
November 2025
0.3 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — P.E.I.
94,000
November 2025
0.8%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — P.E.I.
7.7%
November 2025
-0.8 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — N.S.
524,000
November 2025
0.5%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — N.S.
6.7%
November 2025
0.0 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — N.B.
410,000
November 2025
1.4%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — N.B.
6.6%
November 2025
-1.3 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — Que.
4,649,000
November 2025
-0.0%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — Que.
5.1%
November 2025
-0.2 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — Ont.
8,260,000
November 2025
0.1%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — Ont.
7.3%
November 2025
-0.3 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — Man.
741,000
November 2025
0.6%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — Man.
6.1%
November 2025
0.3 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — Sask.
621,000
November 2025
0.4%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — Sask.
5.6%
November 2025
0.1 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — Alta.
2,645,000
November 2025
1.1%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — Alta.
6.5%
November 2025
-1.3 pts
(monthly change)
Employment level — B.C.
2,948,000
November 2025
0.2%
(monthly change)
Unemployment rate — B.C.
6.4%
November 2025
-0.2 pts
(monthly change)
Highlights
Employment increased by 54,000 (+0.3%) in November, driven by gains in part-time work. The employment rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 60.9%, while the unemployment rate fell 0.4 percentage points to 6.5%.
Employment growth was concentrated among youth aged 15 to 24 (+50,000; +1.8%). There was little change in employment for core-aged people (25 to 54 years) and people aged 55 years and older.
In November, employment increased in health care and social assistance (+46,000; +1.6%), accommodation and food services (+14,000; +1.2%) and natural resources (+11,000; +3.4%). On the other hand, employment decreased in wholesale and retail trade (-34,000; -1.1%).
Employment was up in Alberta (+29,000; +1.1%), New Brunswick (+5,500; +1.4%) and Manitoba (+4,500; +0.6%). Employment was little changed in the other provinces.
Average hourly wages among employees increased 3.6% (+$1.27 to $37.00) on a year-over-year basis in November, following growth of 3.5% in October (not seasonally adjusted).
Employment increases for the third consecutive month
Employment rose by 54,000 (+0.3%) in November, the third consecutive monthly increase. Cumulative increases in September, October and November (+181,000; +0.9%) followed a slow start to the year, with little net employment change from January to August.
The employment rate—the percentage of the population aged 15 years and older who are employed—increased by 0.1 percentage points to 60.9% in November, the third consecutive monthly increase. Compared with 12 months earlier, the employment rate was unchanged.
The number of private sector employees rose by 52,000 (+0.4%) in November, while there was little change in the number of public sector employees and self-employed workers.
Part-time employment rises
Employment growth in November was driven by a rise in part-time employment (+63,000; +1.6%). Over the past three months, part-time employment has increased at a faster rate (+2.7%; +103,000) than full-time employment (+0.5%; +78,000).
Chart 1
Employment rate continues to trend up in November
Although most people working part-time do so voluntarily, for example because they go to school or care for family members, others do so involuntarily. Involuntary part-time work exists when individuals work part-time because of economic or business conditions, or because they could not find full-time work. In November, 17.9% of people working part-time did so involuntarily. This share was little changed from 12 months earlier (17.6%) and down slightly compared with the average for the corresponding month from 2017 to 2019 (19.3%) (not seasonally adjusted).
Employment up among youth
Employment growth in November was concentrated among youth aged 15 to 24 (+50,000; +1.8%). The gain in November follows an increase in October (+21,000; +0.8%). These were the first increases in employment for youth since the start of the year. Youth bore the brunt of a difficult labour market through most of 2025. In November, the employment rate for youth was 55.3%, up 1.7 percentage points from the low recorded in July (53.6%).
Infographic 1
Employment rate by age group, November 2025
Employment among core-aged (25 to 54 years) people was little changed in November, following two consecutive months of growth in September and October. Compared with August, employment in November was up both for core-aged women (+80,000; +1.2%) and core-aged men (+63,000; +0.9%).
Unemployment rate falls to 6.5%
The unemployment rate fell 0.4 percentage points to 6.5% in November, following a 0.2 percentage point decline in October. The unemployment rate had previously trended up through most of 2025, reaching 7.1% in September—the highest level since May 2016 (excluding 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic).
There were 1.5 million unemployed people in November, a decrease of 80,000 (-5.1%) from the previous month.
Among people who were unemployed in October, 19.6% had found work in November. This job finding rate was up slightly compared with the same months in 2024 (18.6%), indicating that job searchers were more likely to find work in November 2025 than a year earlier (not seasonally adjusted). In comparison, increases in the unemployment rate earlier in the year had been associated with lower job finding rates.
Chart 2
Unemployment rate decreases to 6.5% in November
The layoff rate in November (0.7%) was virtually unchanged compared with 12 months earlier (0.8%) and comparable to the average November layoff rate from 2017 to 2019 (0.8%) (not seasonally adjusted). This rate represents the proportion of people who were employed in October and had become unemployed in November as a result of a layoff. The layoff rate has varied little on a year-over-year basis throughout 2025.
The total number of people in the labour force edged down (-26,000; -0.1%) in November. The participation rate—the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who were employed or looking for work—fell by 0.2 percentage points to 65.1%.
Youth unemployment rate declines for the second month in a row
The youth unemployment rate fell 1.3 percentage points to 12.8% in November, following a decline in October (-0.6 percentage points). In September, just prior to these declines, the youth unemployment rate had reached 14.7%—the highest rate since September 2010 (excluding 2020 and 2021), as youth faced more difficult labour market conditions.
Infographic 2
Unemployment rate by age group, November 2025
Among core-aged (25 to 54 years) men, the unemployment rate fell 0.4 percentage points to 5.6% in November, marking the third consecutive monthly decrease for this group. These declines have offset increases recorded earlier in the year. In November, the unemployment rate among core-aged men matched the rate in January 2025.
The unemployment rate also fell among core-aged women (-0.2 percentage points to 5.5%) in November, following two months of little change. In November, the unemployment rate among core-aged women was comparable to the rate recorded at the start of the year (5.6% in January 2025).
Largest employment increase in health care and social assistance
Health care and social assistance recorded the largest employment increase (+46,000; +1.6%) across industries in November. This brought the cumulative increase in health care and social assistance in the 12 months to November to 79,000 (+2.8%). On a year-over-year basis, employment growth in health care and social assistance was faster among self-employed workers (+7.9%) and private sector employees (+3.3%) compared with public sector employees (+1.0%) (not seasonally adjusted).
Employment also increased in accommodation and food services (+14,000; +1.2%) in November, marking the first monthly increase in this industry since January.
Chart 3
Employment change by industry, November 2025
Employment in natural resources rose by 11,000 (+3.4%) in November, the second increase in the last three months. Despite the monthly increase, employment in natural resources was little changed on a year-over-year basis in November.
Employment in wholesale and retail trade decreased by 34,000 (-1.1%) in November, largely offsetting the increase in October (+41,000; +1.4%). The largest declines in November were in Ontario (-20,000; -1.7%) and Quebec (-9,700; -1.4%). Despite the decline in the month, employment in wholesale and retail trade was up by 44,000 (+1.5%) compared with 12 months earlier.
Employment gains led by Alberta
Employment rose in Alberta in November (+29,000; +1.1%), the second significant increase for the province in three months. On a year-over-year basis, employment in Alberta was up by 105,000 (+4.2%). In November, the unemployment rate in Alberta fell 1.3 percentage points to 6.5%, the lowest rate for the province since March 2024 (6.5%). The unemployment rate fell in the census metropolitan areas (CMAs) of Calgary (-0.6 percentage points to 7.3%) and Edmonton (-0.9 percentage points to 7.7%) in November (three-month moving averages).
Map 1
Unemployment rate by province and territory, November 2025
Employment also increased in New Brunswick (+5,500; +1.4%) and Manitoba (+4,500; +0.6%) in November. For both provinces, this was the second increase in the past three months. The unemployment rate fell in New Brunswick (-1.3 percentage points to 6.6%), while it was little changed in Manitoba (at 6.1%).
Employment was little changed in Ontario and Quebec in November, with both provinces showing little net growth since January. With fewer Ontarians searching for work, the unemployment rate in the province fell 0.3 percentage points to 7.3% in November. In Quebec, the unemployment rate was little changed at 5.1%. The unemployment rate fell in the CMAs of Toronto (-0.3 percentage points to 8.4%) and Montréal (-0.4 percentage points to 5.9%) (three-month moving averages).
In the Spotlight: Lower perceived job security among Canadian employees
In November 2025, nearly three-quarters of employees (73.6%) felt secure in their job—that is, they did not believe they might lose their job in the next six months (population aged 15 to 69, not seasonally adjusted). However, this proportion was down 4.1 percentage points compared with November 2023, the last time comparable data were collected in the Labour Force Survey.
Chart 4
The share of employees who feel secure in their job fell notably in public administration, educational services, and professional, scientific and technical services
This lower sense of job security may reflect a more uncertain economic environment, industry-specific concerns with layoffs and other factors. Lower job security can negatively impact the mental health and well-being of employees. For more information on the perception of job security—an indicator which is part of Statistics Canada’s Framework on Quality of Employment—see the article “Perceived job security” in the Quality of Employment in Canada publication.
In November 2025, youth (65.3%) remained less likely to feel secure in their job than core-aged employees (74.9%) and employees aged 55 to 69 (75.0%). However, declines in the perception of job security from November 2023 to November 2025 were observed across all age groups. Similar to November 2023, a slightly smaller proportion of men felt secure in their job (72.5%) compared with women (74.7%).
The largest decline in perceived job security from November 2023 to November 2025 was recorded in public administration, where the proportion of employees who felt secure in their job decreased by 12.0 percentage points to 77.0%. Notable declines were also recorded in educational services (-8.5 percentage points to 77.6%) and professional, scientific and technical services (-7.5 percentage points to 69.5%).
In November 2025, employees in industries dependent on US demand for Canadian exports were less likely to feel secure in their job (68.5%) than those in other industries with less dependence on US demand (74.1%). Compared with November 2023, the share of employees who felt secure in their job was down 6.4 percentage points in industries dependent on US demand, and down 3.9 percentage points in other industries.
Employees less confident about their employability
For some employees, job insecurity can be compounded by the belief that finding a job with a similar salary would be difficult if they were to lose their current job.
In November 2025, the share of employees who reported that it would be easy to find another job offering a similar salary was 42.8%, down 6.2 percentage points from November 2023.
The proportion of employees who reported it would be easy to find a job with a similar salary in November 2025 was lowest in public administration (32.6%), information, culture and recreation (35.3%) and manufacturing (35.9%). It was also lower among employees in industries dependent on US demand for Canadian exports (36.6%) compared with employees in other industries (43.4%).
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 November reflect labour market conditions during the reference week of November 9 to 15, 2025.
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 – Frequently asked questions.
Population growth 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.”
Updates to the Labour Force Survey sample design beginning in April 2025
Every 10 years, the LFS sample is redesigned to reflect changes in population characteristics and updated geographical boundaries. The updated sample design—based on the 2021 Census population characteristics and the 2021 Standard Geographical Classification—was phased in from April to September 2025. For more information, see Section 4 of the Guide to the Labour Force Survey.
Data for the Labour Market Indicators program are now available for November 2025.
Next release
The next release of the LFS will be on January 9, 2026. December 2025 data will reflect labour market conditions during the week of December 7 to 13.
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).