In 2024, the unemployment rate in Canada was 6.45 percent. Between 1991 and 2024, the figure dropped by 3.87 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Unemployment Rate in Canada decreased to 6.90 percent in October from 7.10 percent in September of 2025. This dataset provides - Canada Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

In 2024, the unemployment rate of both sexes aged 15 years and over in all industries in Canada stood at 6.3 percent. Between 1976 and 2024, the figure dropped by 0.8 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Unemployment rate, participation rate, and employment rate by educational attainment, gender and age group, annual.

Key information about Canada Unemployment Rate

• Canada Unemployment Rate remained the same at 6.60% in Feb 2025, from the previously reported figure of 6.60% in Jan 2025.
• Canada Unemployment Rate is updated monthly, available from Jan 1976 to Feb 2025, with an average rate of 7.60%.
• The data reached an all-time high of 14.20% in May 2020 and a record low of 4.80% in Jul 2022.
• The data is reported by reported by Statistics Canada.
• In the latest reports, Canada Population reached 41.29 million people in Jun 2024.

In 2024, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador had the highest unemployment rate in Canada. That year, it had a ten percent unemployment rate. In comparison, Québec had the lowest unemployment rate at 5.3 percent. Nunavut Nunavut is the largest and most northern province of Canada. Their economy is powered by many industries which include mining, oil, gas, hunting, fishing, and transportation. They have a high amount of mineral resources and many of their jobs come from mining, however, the territory still suffers from a high unemployment rate, which has fluctuated since 2004. The lack of necessary education, skills, and mobility are all factors that play a part in unemployment. Most of the population identifies as Inuit. Their official languages include English, French, and several Inuit languages. The capital is Iqaluit, which is their largest community and only city. The climate in Nunavut is a polar climate due to its high latitude, and as a result, it rarely goes above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Unemployment in Canada The unemployment rate in Canada had been decreasing since 2009, but increased to 9.7 percent in 2020 due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Since 2006, landed immigrants have faced higher unemployment rates compared to those born in Canada. Youth unemployment in Canada has fluctuated since 1998, but has always remained in the double digits. Additionally, the average duration of unemployment in Canada in 2023 was about 17.4 weeks.

Regional unemployment rates used by the Employment Insurance program, by effective date, current month.

In 2020, Canada's ICT sector had an unemployment rate of 6.9 percent. This stands in stark contrast to the overall Canadian economy, where employment dropped by 5.2 percent.

View monthly updates and historical trends for Canada Unemployment Rate. Source: Statistics Canada. Track economic data with YCharts analytics.

Unemployment rate, participation rate and employment rate for men and women, 15 years and over, by province, current year.

As of 2023, Italy had the highest unemployment rate of the G7 countries, reaching 7.6 percent. Especially in Canada and the United States, the unemployment rate rose sharply in 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Japan had the lowest unemployment rate at just 2.6 percent. Slowed growth of the Japanese economy and society While Japan had the lowest unemployment rate, it also experienced a slow wage growth. Wages in Japan are known to be stagnant, with many workers going years without experiencing any wage growth in their roles. One contributing factor to its low unemployment rate is its shrinking population. As the population continues to decrease, there is less competition for work. However, this introduces other problems for Japanese society, as it also has a rapidly aging population that requires long-term care. Unemployment in Italy: The divide between Northern and Southern Italy Not only does Italy have the highest unemployment rate out of the G7, but it has the second-highest unemployment rate of Europe's largest economies. Furthermore, Italy has significant levels of youth unemployment, with the majority of youth unemployment lying within southern regions of the country. The economic divide between Northern and Southern Italy is significant, and can be attributed to differences in industralization and economic diversification. The prominence of this divide has had wider impacts on Italian politics and society.

The statistic shows the unemployment rate in Canada from 2019 to 2023, with projections up until 2029. In 2023, the unemployment rate in Canada was at around 5.41 percent. Canada’s economy Three-quarter of Canada’s workforce is employed in the services sector, with the other two sectors, agriculture and industry, accounting for the rest of Canada’s employment. The country’s main export and import partner is the United States. Although both export and import figures have increased over the last few years, the trade balance of goods in Canada – i.e. the value of Canada’s exports minus the value of its imports – has slumped dramatically since the economic crisis hit in 2008. In 2009, for the first time in a decade, Canada reported a trade deficit, and the figures are still struggling to recover. Additionally, Canada’s public debt has been increasing since the crisis. Although a few key figures are still not back to the usual level, Canada and its economy seem to have more or less bounced back from the crisis; as can be seen above, the unemployment rate is gradually decreasing, for example, and gross domestic product / GDP in Canada has been increasing steadily. Canada is thus among the countries with the largest proportion of global gross domestic product / GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity. Canada is among the leading trading nations worldwide, and an important part of its economy is the export of oil. The country hosts significant oil resources, in fact, its capacity is the third-largest after those of Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

The number of people who are unemployed as a percentage of the active labour force (i.e. employed and unemployed).

The Labour Force Survey provides estimates of employment and unemployment which are among the timeliest and important measures of performance of the Canadian economy. With the release of the survey results only 10 days after the completion of data collection, the LFS estimates are the first of the major monthly economic data series to be released. The Canadian Labour Force Survey was developed following the Second World War to satisfy a need for reliable and timely data on the labour market. Information was urgently required on the massive labour market changes involved in the transition from a war to a peace-time economy. The main objective of the LFS is to divide the working-age population into three mutually exclusive classifications - employed, unemployed, and not in the labour force - and to provide descriptive and explanatory data on each of these. LFS data are used to produce the well-known unemployment rate as well as other standard labour market indicators such as the employment rate and the participation rate. The LFS also provides employment estimates by industry, occupation, public and private sector, hours worked and much more, all cross-classifiable by a variety of demographic characteristics. Estimates are produced for Canada, the provinces, the territories and a large number of sub-provincial regions. For employees, wage rates, union status, job permanency and workplace size are also produced. These data are used by different levels of government for evaluation and planning of employment programs in Canada. Regional unemployment rates are used by Employment and Social Development Canada to determine eligibility, level and duration of insurance benefits for persons living within a particular employment insurance region. The data are also used by labour market analysts, economists, consultants, planners, forecasters and academics in both the private and public sector.This public use microdata file contains non-aggregated data for a wide variety of variables collected from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). It contains both personal characteristics for all individuals in the household and detailed labour force characteristics for household members 15 years of age and over. The personal characteristics include age, sex, marital status, educational attainment, and family characteristics. Detailed labour force characteristics include employment information such as class of worker, usual and actual hours of work, employee hourly and weekly wages, industry and occupation of current or most recent job, public and private sector, union status, paid or unpaid overtime hours, job permanency, hours of work lost, job tenure, and unemployment information such as duration of unemployment, methods of job search and type of job sought. Labour force characteristics are also available for students during the school year and during the summer months as well as school attendance whether full or part-time and the type of institution.LFS revisions: Labour force surveys are revised on a periodic basis, either to adopt the most recent geography, industry and occupation classifications; to use new observations to fine-tune seasonal adjustment factors; or to introduce methodological enhancement. Prior LFS revisions were conducted in 2011, 2015 and 2021. The most recent revisions to the LFS were conducted in 2023. The first major change was a transition to the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 V1.0, with all LFS series from 1987 onwards having been revised to the new classification. The second major change were methodological enhancements to LFS data processing, applied to all LFS series beginning Jan 2006. The third major change was a revision of seasonal adjustment factors, applied to LFS series Jan 2002 onward. A list of prior versions of this LFS dataset can be found under the ‘Versions’ tab.

Canada LFS: Unemployment Rate: sa: Quebec data was reported at 5.300 % in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5.400 % for Jan 2025. Canada LFS: Unemployment Rate: sa: Quebec data is updated monthly, averaging 9.000 % from Jan 1976 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 590 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18.200 % in Apr 2020 and a record low of 3.800 % in Nov 2022. Canada LFS: Unemployment Rate: sa: Quebec data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Canada. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.G021: Labour Force Survey: Unemployment. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment), unemployment rate, participation rate and employment rate by province, gender and age group. Data are presented for 12 months earlier, previous month and current month, as well as year-over-year and month-to-month level change and percentage change. Data are also available for the standard error of the estimate, the standard error of the month-to-month change and the standard error of the year-over-year change.

Canada CA: Unemployment Rate: Double Hit Scenario data was reported at 8.990 % in 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of 9.378 % for 2020. Canada CA: Unemployment Rate: Double Hit Scenario data is updated yearly, averaging 7.270 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2021, with 62 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.994 % in 1983 and a record low of 3.336 % in 1966. Canada CA: Unemployment Rate: Double Hit Scenario data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.OECD.EO: Employment and Unemployment: Forecast: OECD Member: Annual. UNR-Unemployment rate

Youth Unemployment Rate in Canada decreased to 14.10 percent in October from 14.70 percent in September of 2025. This dataset provides - Canada Youth Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Canada LFS: Unemployment Rate: sa: Ontario data was reported at 7.300 % in Feb 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 7.600 % for Jan 2025. Canada LFS: Unemployment Rate: sa: Ontario data is updated monthly, averaging 7.000 % from Jan 1976 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 590 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.200 % in May 2020 and a record low of 4.700 % in Oct 1989. Canada LFS: Unemployment Rate: sa: Ontario data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Canada. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.G021: Labour Force Survey: Unemployment. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment) and unemployment rate, by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), gender and age group.