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.

In 2023, 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 4.5 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.

Unemployment Rate in Canada increased to 7 percent in May from 6.90 percent in April of 2025. This dataset provides - Canada Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

This statistic shows the unemployment rate in Canada in June 2024, by metropolitan area. In 2024, about 8.5 percent of the labor force in the Calgary metropolitan area (Alberta) was unemployed.

Unemployment rates of 25- to 29-year-olds, by educational attainment, Canada and jurisdictions. This table is included in Section E: Transitions and outcomes: Labour market outcomes of the Pan Canadian Education Indicators Program (PCEIP). PCEIP draws from a wide variety of data sources to provide information on the school-age population, elementary, secondary and postsecondary education, transitions, and labour market outcomes. The program presents indicators for all of Canada, the provinces, the territories, as well as selected international comparisons and comparisons over time. PCEIP is an ongoing initiative of the Canadian Education Statistics Council, a partnership between Statistics Canada and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada that provides a set of statistical measures on education systems in Canada.

Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment) and not in the labour force, unemployment rate, participation rate, and employment rate, by province, territory and economic region, last 5 years.

This statistic shows the rate of unemployment in Ontario, Canada from 2000 to 2023. In 2023, 5.7 percent of the labor force was unemployed in Ontario.

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

This Alberta Official Statistic compares the unemployment rates of Canada and the ten provinces from 1976 to 2014. The unemployment rate is a measure of the proportion of people in the labour force who are unemployed. The labour force includes individuals 15 years and over who are employed or unemployed and looking for work.

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]

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

In 2023, 5.4 percent of the labor force in Canada was unemployed. This is a slight increase from the previous year, when unemployment stood at 5.3 percent.

This table contains 276 series, with data for years 2015 - 2016 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (138 items: Canada; Newfoundland and Labrador; Eastern Regional Integrated Health Authority, Newfoundland and Labrador; Central Regional Integrated Health Authority, Newfoundland and Labrador; ...); Unemployment rate (2 items: Unemployment rate, 15 years and over; Unemployment rate, 15 to 24 years).

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]

This Alberta Official Statistic compares the unemployment rates of Canada and the ten provinces from 1976 to 2014. The unemployment rate is a measure of the proportion of people in the labour force who are unemployed. The labour force includes individuals 15 years and over who are employed or unemployed and looking for work.

This statistic shows the rate of unemployment in Quebec, Canada from 2000 to 2023. In 2023, 4.5 percent of the labor force was unemployed in Quebec.

To ensure respondent confidentiality, estimates below a certain threshold are suppressed. For Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia suppression is applied to all data below 1,500. The threshold level for Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Manitoba and Saskatchewan is 500, while in Prince Edward Island, estimates under 200 are suppressed. For census metropolitan areas (CMAs) and economic regions (ERs), use their respective provincial suppression levels mentioned above. Estimates are based on smaller sample sizes the more detailed the table becomes, which could result in lower data quality. Fluctuations in economic time series are caused by seasonal, cyclical and irregular movements. A seasonally adjusted series is one from which seasonal movements have been eliminated. Seasonal movements are defined as those which are caused by regular annual events such as climate, holidays, vacation periods and cycles related to crops, production and retail sales associated with Christmas and Easter. It should be noted that the seasonally adjusted series contain irregular as well as longer-term cyclical fluctuations. The seasonal adjustment program is a complicated computer program which differentiates between these seasonal, cyclical and irregular movements in a series over a number of years and, on the basis of past movements, estimates appropriate seasonal factors for current data. On an annual basis, the historic series of seasonally adjusted data are revised in light of the most recent information on changes in seasonality. Number of civilian, non-institutionalized persons 15 years of age and over who, during the reference week, were employed or unemployed. Estimates in thousands, rounded to the nearest hundred. Number of persons who, during the reference week, worked for pay or profit, or performed unpaid family work or had a job but were not at work due to own illness or disability, personal or family responsibilities, labour dispute, vacation, or other reason. Those persons on layoff and persons without work but who had a job to start at a definite date in the future are not considered employed. Estimates in thousands, rounded to the nearest hundred. Number of persons who, during the reference week, were without work, had looked for work in the past four weeks, and were available for work. Those persons on layoff or who had a new job to start in four weeks or less are considered unemployed. Estimates in thousands, rounded to the nearest hundred. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed persons expressed as a percentage of the labour force. The unemployment rate for a particular group (age, gender, marital status, etc.) is the number unemployed in that group expressed as a percentage of the labour force for that group. Estimates are percentages, rounded to the nearest tenth. Industry refers to the general nature of the business carried out by the employer for whom the respondent works (main job only). Industry estimates in this table are based on the 2022 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Formerly Management of companies and administrative and other support services"." This combines the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes 11 to 91. This combines the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes 11 to 33. This combines the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes 41 to 91. Unemployed persons who have never worked before, and those unemployed persons who last worked more than 1 year ago. For more information on seasonal adjustment see Seasonally adjusted data - Frequently asked questions." Labour Force Survey (LFS) North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code exception: add group 1100 - Farming - not elsewhere classified (nec). When the type of farm activity cannot be distinguished between crop and livestock, (for example: mixed farming). Labour Force Survey (LFS) North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code exception: add group 2100 - Mining - not elsewhere classified (nec). Whenever the type of mining activity cannot be distinguished. Also referred to as Natural resources. The standard error (SE) of an estimate is an indicator of the variability associated with this estimate, as the estimate is based on a sample rather than the entire population. The SE can be used to construct confidence intervals and calculate coefficients of variation (CVs). The confidence interval can be built by adding the SE to an estimate in order to determine the upper limit of this interval, and by subtracting the same amount from the estimate to determine the lower limit. The CV can be calculated by dividing the SE by the estimate. See Section 7 of the Guide to the Labour Force Survey (opens new window) for more information. The standard errors presented in this table are the average of the standard errors for 12 previous months The standard error (SE) for the month-to-month change is an indicator of the variability associated with the estimate of the change between two consecutive months, because each monthly estimate is based on a sample rather than the entire population. To construct confidence intervals, the SE is added to an estimate in order to determine the upper limit of this interval, and then subtracted from the estimate to determine the lower limit. Using this method, the true value will fall within one SE of the estimate approximately 68% of the time, and within two standard errors approximately 95% of the time. For example, if the estimated employment level increases by 20,000 from one month to another and the associated SE is 29,000, the true value of the employment change has a 68% chance of falling between -9,000 and +49,000. Because such a confidence interval includes zero, the 20,000 change would not be considered statistically significant. However, if the increase is 30,000, the confidence interval would be +1,000 to +59,000, and the 30,000 increase would be considered statistically significant. (Note that 30,000 is above the SE of 29,000, and that the confidence interval does not include zero.) Similarly, if the estimated employment declines by 30,000, then the true value of the decline would fall between -59,000 and -1,000. See Section 7 of the Guide to the Labour Force Survey (opens new window) for more information. The standard errors presented in this table are the average of standard errors for 12 previous months. They are updated twice a year The standard error (SE) for the year-over-year change is an indicator of the variability associated with the estimate of the change between a given month in a given year and the same month of the previous year, because each month's estimate is based on a sample rather than the entire population. The SE can be used to construct confidence intervals: it can be added to an estimate in order to determine the upper limit of this interval, and then subtracted from the same estimate to determine the lower limit. Using this method, the true value will fall within one SE of the estimate, approximately 68% of the time, and within two standard errors, approximately 95% of the time. For example, if the estimated employment level increases by 160,000 over 12 months and the associated SE is 55,000, the true value of the change in employment has approximately a 68% chance of falling between +105,000 and +215,000. This change would be considered statistically significant at the 68% level as the confidence interval excludes zero. However, if the increase is 40,000, the interval would be -15,000 to +95,000, and this increase would not be considered statistically significant since the interval includes zero. See Section 7 of the Guide to the Labour Force Survey (opens new window) for more information. The standard errors presented in this table are the average of standard errors for 12 previous months and are updated twice a year Excluding the territories. Starting in 2006, enhancements to the Labour Force Survey data processing system may have introduced a level shift in some estimates, particularly for less common labour force characteristics. Use caution when comparing estimates before and after 2006. For more information, contact statcan.labour-travail.statcan@statcan.gc.ca

This table contains 318 series, with data for years 2002 - 2003 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years), and is no longer being released. This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (160 items: Canada; Newfoundland and Labrador; Health and Community Services St. John's Region, Newfoundland and Labrador; Health and Community Services Eastern Region, Newfoundland and Labrador; ...);  Unemployment rate (2 items: Unemployment rate, 15 years and over; Unemployment rate, 15 to 24 years).

Labour Force Survey The Labour Force Survey provides estimates of employment and unemployment which are among the timeliest and important measures of performance of the Canadian economy. 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. Objective 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. Collection 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. The most recent revisions took place in 2025. As of January 2025, LFS microdata and estimates have been adjusted to reflect population counts from the 2021 Census, with revisions going back to 2011. Additionally, several changes were made to key variables on the PUMFs: Survey weights (FINALWT) have been updated to use 2021 Census population control totals. Sub-provincial geography (CMA) has been updated to the 2021 Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) boundaries. All industry data (NAICS_21) was revised to use the latest standard, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2022. Coding enhancements were applied to improve longitudinal consistency of detailed National Occupational Classification data (NOC_10 and NOC_43). Data were revised to use the gender of person instead of sex (GENDER).