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

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

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 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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

Lists the employment rate, unemployment rate, and participation rate by census year, gender, and municipality and municipal district. The employment rate refers to the number of persons employed in the week (Sunday to Saturday) prior to Census Day, expressed as a percentage of the total population 15 years of age and over. The participation rate measures the total labour force (comprised of those who are employed and unemployed, combined) relative to the size of the working-age population. The unemployment rate refers to unemployed persons expressed as a percentage of the active labour force in the week previous to Census Day.

Overall, the unemployment rate in Arnprior, ON is growing at a rate of 0.04% per year over the past 15 years from 2001 to 2016.

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.

Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment) and not in the labour force, unemployment rate, participation rate, and employment rate, by census agglomeration, last 5 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]

Get statistical data for rural and urban Ontario on key socioeconomic variables.

The data identifies:

• demographic information for rural and urban Ontario by census year (population change and age breakdown, immigrants, visible minorities, educational attainment, average household income)
• economic indicators for rural and urban Ontario (monthly and annual employment by industry, monthly and annual labour force characteristics, number of businesses by industries and employee number)
• rural and urban Ontario census profiles (for all census of population variables starting with 2001)

Find more resources with socioeconomic data and information about Rural Ontario

Number of persons in the labour force (employment and unemployment), unemployment rate, participation rate and employment rate by age group and gender. 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.

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.

Statistics Canada publishes monthly labour force statistics for all Canadian Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) and provinces. In addition, the City of Toronto purchases a special run from Statistics Canada of Labour Force Survey (LFS) data for city of Toronto residents (i.e. separate from the rest of the Toronto CMA). LFS data are collected by place of residence, and therefore city of Toronto's "employment" represents "employed residents" and not "jobs" in the city of Toronto. There are more jobs in the city of Toronto than employed city of Toronto residents. In this LFS database, you will find 22 monthly tables and 28 annual tables. Most of the tables contain data for five geographies: city of Toronto, Toronto CMA, Toronto/Hamilton/Oshawa CMAs, Ontario and Canada ( see attachment Table of Contents below a full description ). LFS data in the IVT tables are not seasonally adjusted. Top level seasonally adjusted LFS data are available in our monthly Toronto Economic Bulletin on Open Data. LFS is based on a monthly sample of approximately 2,800 households in the Toronto CMA, about half of the sample is from the city of Toronto; therefore, estimates will vary from the results of a complete census. LFS follows a rotating panel sample design, in which households remain in the sample for six consecutive months. The total sample consists of six representative sub-samples of panels, and each month a panel is replaced after completing its six month stay in the survey. Outgoing households are replaced by households in the same or similar area. This results in a five-sixths month-to-month sample overlap, which makes the design efficient for estimating month-to-month changes. The rotation after six months prevents undue respondent burden for households that are selected for the survey ( see attachment Guide to the Labour Force Survey for more information). Upon reviewing the data, you will see that at least some cells in the IVT tables have been suppressed. For confidentiality reasons, Statistics Canada suppresses Labour Force Survey data for any cell that corresponds to less than 1,500 persons. At the beginning of 2015, Statistics Canada substantially changed the methodology used to produce LFS population estimates for the city of Toronto. These changes have resulted in large and inexplicable swings in population and related counts, which are not real. However, the unemployment and participation rates for city residents showed very little change in this revision. The red dots in the chart above represents Statistics Canada's Annual Demographics estimates for the populations of the city of Toronto, age 15 and over. These are only estimates, but they are generally accepted as the most accurate estimates for the city's population. (Source: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/91-214-x/91-214-x2018000-eng.htm). The most recent Statistics Canada population estimate for the city of Toronto is for July 1, 2015; therefore, we have to use projections thereafter. There are several population projections for the city. The projection that EDC staff has chosen to use for rebasing city of Toronto LFS data is the Ontario Ministry of Finance Population Projections 2017-2041 and downloaded June, 2017 from http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/economy/demographics/projections/ Please see attachment Rebased Labour Force Survey for City of Toronto below for annual adjustment factors, monthly adjustment factors and an example of how to rebase the absolute numbers for the city of Toronto.

Historical chart and dataset showing Canada unemployment rate by year from 1991 to 2024.

Number of employees and unemployment rate by population centre and rural area, sex and age group, last 5 years.