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

The statistic shows the distribution of the workforce across economic sectors in Canada from 2013 to 2023. In 2023, 1.27 percent of the workforce were employed in agriculture, 19.21 percent in the industry and 79.51 percent in services.

Number of employees by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and type of employee, last 5 years.

This statistic shows the total number of employed persons in Canada in 2023, distinguished by industry classification. In 2023, about 1.8 million people were employed in the manufacturing sector in Canada.

Number of employees by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and data type (seasonally adjusted, trend-cycle and unadjusted), last 5 months. 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 LFS: Employment: Annual: Public Sector data was reported at 4,464.800 Person th in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 4,303.500 Person th for 2023. Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Public Sector data is updated yearly, averaging 2,815.200 Person th from Dec 1976 (Median) to 2024, with 49 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,464.800 Person th in 2024 and a record low of 2,306.800 Person th in 1976. Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Public Sector data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Canada. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.G016: Labour Force Survey: Employment: by Industry: Annual.

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a monthly survey of Canadian households carried out by Statistics Canada. It was developed after the Second World War to satisfy a need for reliable and timely data on the labour market due to the massive labour market changes involved in the transition from a war to peace-time economy. The objectives of the LFS have been to divide the working-age population into three mutually exclusive labour force status categories (employed, unemployed, and not in the labour force) and to provide descriptive and explanatory data on each of these groups. 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 LFS is the source of Canada's official unemployment rates, including the rates used by Employment and Social Development Canada in the calculation of Employment Insurance (EI) eligibility and benefit criteria. Data from the survey also provide information on major labour market trends, such as shifts in employment across industrial sectors, hours worked and labour force participation. 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, data on wage rates, union status, job permanency and establishment size are also produced.

The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a household survey carried out monthly by Statistics Canada. Since its inception in 1945, the objectives of the LFS have been 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 categories. Data from the survey provide information on major labour market trends such as shifts in employment across industrial sectors, hours worked, labour force participation and unemployment rates, employment including the self-employed, full and part-time employment, and unemployment. It publishes monthly standard labour market indicators such as the unemployment rate, the employment rate and the participation rate. The LFS is a major source of information on the personal characteristics of the working-age population, including age, sex, marital status, educational attainment, and family characteristics. Employment estimates include detailed breakdowns by demographic characteristics, industry and occupation,job tenure, and usual and actual hours worked. This dataset is designed to provide the user with historical information from the Labour Force Survey. The tables included are monthly and annual, with some dating back to 1976. Most tables are available by province as well as nationally. Demographic, industry, occupation and other indicators are presented in tables derived from the LFS data. The information generated by the survey has expanded considerably over the years with a major redesign of the survey content in 1976 and again in 1997, and provides a rich and detailed picture of the Canadian labour market. Some changes to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) were introduced which affect data back to 1987. There are three reasons for this revision: The revision enables the use of improved population benchmarks in the LFS estimation process. These improved benchmarks provide better information on the number of non-permanent residents. There are changes to the data for the public and private sectors from 1987 to 1999. In the past, the data on the public and private sectors for this period were based on an old definition of the public sector. The revised data better reflects the current public sector definition, and therefore result in a longer time series for analysis. The geographic coding of several small Census Agglomerations (CA) has been updated historically from 1996 urban centre boundaries to 2001 CA boundaries. This affects data from January 1987 to December 2004. It is important to note that the changes to almost all estimates are very minor, with the exception of the public sector series and some associated industries from 1987 to 1999. Rates of unemployment, employment and participation are essentially unchanged, as are all key labour mark et trends. The article titled Improvements in 2006 to the LFS (also under the LFS Documentation button) provides an overview of the effect of these changes on the estimates. The seasonally-adjusted tables have been revised back three years (beginning with January 2004) based on the latest seasonal output.

Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Goods Producing Sector: Construction data was reported at 1,607.300 Person th in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,601.000 Person th for 2023. Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Goods Producing Sector: Construction data is updated yearly, averaging 815.800 Person th from Dec 1976 (Median) to 2024, with 49 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,607.300 Person th in 2024 and a record low of 607.500 Person th in 1984. Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Goods Producing Sector: Construction data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Canada. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.G016: Labour Force Survey: Employment: by Industry: Annual.

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: Employment: Annual: Services Producing Sector: Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Leasing data was reported at 1,424.300 Person th in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,384.900 Person th for 2023. Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Services Producing Sector: Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Leasing data is updated yearly, averaging 865.600 Person th from Dec 1976 (Median) to 2024, with 49 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,424.300 Person th in 2024 and a record low of 526.000 Person th in 1976. Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Services Producing Sector: Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Leasing data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Canada. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.G016: Labour Force Survey: Employment: by Industry: Annual.

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.

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

Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment) and unemployment rate by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), last 5 months. 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.

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. 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. 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).

Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Canada was reported at 79.51 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Canada - Employment in services (% of total employment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Services Producing Sector data was reported at 16,535.600 Person th in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 16,141.900 Person th for 2023. Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Services Producing Sector data is updated yearly, averaging 10,950.600 Person th from Dec 1976 (Median) to 2024, with 49 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16,535.600 Person th in 2024 and a record low of 6,376.600 Person th in 1976. Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Services Producing Sector data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Canada. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.G016: Labour Force Survey: Employment: by Industry: Annual.

LFS: Employment: More Than 500 Employees: Annual: Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Leasing data was reported at 297.200 Person th in 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 303.000 Person th for 2023. LFS: Employment: More Than 500 Employees: Annual: Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Leasing data is updated yearly, averaging 146.550 Person th from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2024, with 28 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 303.000 Person th in 2023 and a record low of 75.300 Person th in 1997. LFS: Employment: More Than 500 Employees: Annual: Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Leasing data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Canada. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.G016: Labour Force Survey: Employment: by Industry: Annual.

Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Goods Producing Sector data was reported at 4,194.900 Person th in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 4,192.800 Person th for 2023. Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Goods Producing Sector data is updated yearly, averaging 3,749.000 Person th from Dec 1976 (Median) to 2024, with 49 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4,194.900 Person th in 2024 and a record low of 3,325.200 Person th in 1993. Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Goods Producing Sector data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Canada. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.G016: Labour Force Survey: Employment: by Industry: Annual.

Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Services Producing Sector: Others data was reported at 801.400 Person th in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 768.300 Person th for 2023. Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Services Producing Sector: Others data is updated yearly, averaging 686.100 Person th from Dec 1976 (Median) to 2024, with 49 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 801.400 Person th in 2024 and a record low of 426.500 Person th in 1977. Canada LFS: Employment: Annual: Services Producing Sector: Others data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statistics Canada. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.G016: Labour Force Survey: Employment: by Industry: Annual.