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

Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment), unemployment rate, participation rate and employment rate by data type (seasonally adjusted and trend-cycle), gender and age group. 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.

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.

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).

Employment in Canada increased by 66.60 in October of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Canada Employment Change - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

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.

Labor Force Participation Rate in Canada increased to 65.30 percent in October from 65.20 percent in September of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Canada Labor Force Participation Rate - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Key information about Canada Labour Force Participation Rate

• Canada Labour Force Participation Rate remained the same rate at 65.0 % in Oct 2025, compared with 65.0 % in the previous month.
• Canada Labour Force Participation Rate is updated monthly, available from Jan 1976 to Oct 2025, with an average rate of 0.0 % .
• Canada Labour Force Participation Rate is reported by reported by Statistics Canada.
• In the latest reports, Canada Population reached 41.7 million people in Jun 2025.
• Unemployment Rate of Canada dropped to 6.9 % in Oct 2025.
• The country's Monthly Earnings stood at 3,808.3 USD in Sep 2025.

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.

Overview: Each quarter, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) publishes Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) statistics on Open Government Data Portal, including quarterly and annual LMIA data related to, but not limited to, requested and approved TFW positions, employment location, employment occupations, sectors, TFWP stream and temporary foreign workers by country of origin. The TFWP does not collect data on the number of TFWs who are hired by an employer and have arrived in Canada. The decision to issue a work permit rests with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and not all positions on a positive LMIA result in a work permit. For these reasons, data provided in the LMIA statistics cannot be used to calculate the number of TFWs that have entered or will enter Canada. IRCC publishes annual statistics on the number of foreign workers who are issued a work permit: https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/360024f2-17e9-4558-bfc1-3616485d65b9. Please note that all annual tables have been updated to NOC 2021 (5 digit and training, education, experience and responsibilities (TEER) based). As such, Table 5, 8, 17, and 24 will no longer be updated but will remain as archived tables. Frequency of Publication: Quarterly LMIA statistics cover data for the four quarters of the previous calendar year and the quarter(s) of the current calendar year. Quarterly data is released within two to three months of the most recent quarter. The release dates for quarterly data are as follows: Q1 (January to March) will be published by early June of the current year; Q2 (April to June) will be published by early September of the current year; Q3 (July to September) will be published by early December of the current year; and Q4 (October to December) will be published by early March of the next year. Annual statistics cover eight consecutive years of LMIA data and are scheduled to be released in March of the next year. Published Data: As part of the quarterly release, the TFWP updates LMIA data for 28 tables broken down by: TFW positions: Tables 1 to 10, 12, 13, and 22 to 24; LMIA applications: Tables 14 to 18; Employers: Tables 11, and 19 to 21; Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP): Tables 25 to 28. In addition, the TFWP publishes 2 lists of employers who were issued a positive or negative LMIA: Employers who were issued a positive LMIA by Program Stream, NOC, and Business Location (https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/90fed587-1364-4f33-a9ee-208181dc0b97/resource/b369ae20-0c7e-4d10-93ca-07c86c91e6fe); and Employers who were issued a negative LMIA by Program Stream, NOC, and Business Location (https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/f82f66f2-a22b-4511-bccf-e1d74db39ae5/resource/94a0dbee-e9d9-4492-ab52-07f0f0fb255b) Things to Remember: 1. When data are presented on positive or negative LMIAs, the decision date is used to allocate which quarter the data falls into. However, when data are presented on when LMIAs are requested, it is based on the date when the LMIA is received by ESDC. 2. As of the publication of 2016-2023 annual data (published in April 2024) and going forward, all LMIAs in support of 'Permanent Residence (PR) Only' are included in TFWP statistics, unless indicated otherwise. All annual data in this report includes PR Only LMIAs. Dual-intent LMIAs and corresponding positions are included under their respective TFWP stream (e.g., low-wage, high-wage, etc.) This may impact program reporting over time. 3. Attention should be given for data that are presented by ‘Unique Employers’ when it comes to manipulating the data within that specific table. One employer could be counted towards multiple groups if they have multiple positive LMIAs across categories such as program stream, province or territory, or economic region. For example, an employer could request TFWs for two different business locations, and this employer would be counted in the statistics of both economic regions. As such, the sum of the rows within these ‘Unique Employer’ tables will not add up to the aggregate total.

Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment), unemployment rate, participation rate and employment rate by census metropolitan area. 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.

Monitoring and assessing the Employment Insurance (EI) program helps provide a clear understanding of its impact on the Canadian economy and its effectiveness in addressing the needs of Canadian workers, their families and their employers. These files include data from Annex 1 Key Labour Market Statistics Data Tables.

Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment) and not in the labour force, unemployment rate, participation rate, and employment rate, by National Occupational Classification for Statistics (NOC-S) and sex, last 5 years.

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.

Canada CA: Labour Force Participation Rate: National Estimate: Ratio of Female to Male data was reported at 88.439 % in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 88.457 % for 2022. Canada CA: Labour Force Participation Rate: National Estimate: Ratio of Female to Male data is updated yearly, averaging 81.166 % from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2023, with 50 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 88.457 % in 2022 and a record low of 38.021 % in 1961. Canada CA: Labour Force Participation Rate: National Estimate: Ratio of Female to Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.World Bank.WDI: Labour Force. Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate is calculated by dividing female labor force participation rate by male labor force participation rate and multiplying by 100.;World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT at https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/.;Weighted average;The series for ILO estimates is also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment), unemployment rate and employment rate, by National Occupational Classification (NOC) and gender.

Canada CA: Labour Force: % Change over Previous Period data was reported at 0.363 % in Apr 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.367 % for Mar 2018. Canada CA: Labour Force: % Change over Previous Period data is updated monthly, averaging 0.171 % from Feb 1993 (Median) to Apr 2018, with 303 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.540 % in May 1994 and a record low of -2.919 % in Sep 1995. Canada CA: Labour Force: % Change over Previous Period data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment.

Canada CA: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Labour Force data was reported at 6.450 % in 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 5.415 % for 2023. Canada CA: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Labour Force data is updated yearly, averaging 7.306 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2024, with 34 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.377 % in 1993 and a record low of 5.279 % in 2022. Canada CA: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: % of Total Labour Force data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment. Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.;International Labour Organization. “ILO Modelled Estimates and Projections database (ILOEST)” ILOSTAT. Accessed January 07, 2025. https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/.;Weighted average;National estimates are also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

This publication provides the most current monthly labour market statistics. Each month, this publication contains a brief commentary highlighting recent developments in the Canadian labour market. It also includes a series of charts and tables on a variety of labour force characteristics, such as employment and unemployment for Canada, the provinces, metropolitan areas and economic regions.

Canada CA: Labour Force: % Change data was reported at 1.144 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.843 % for 2016. Canada CA: Labour Force: % Change data is updated yearly, averaging 1.171 % from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2017, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.830 % in 2002 and a record low of 0.455 % in 2014. Canada CA: Labour Force: % Change data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.IMF.IFS: Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment: Annual.