Employment increased by 67,000 (+0.3%) in October, the second consecutive monthly increase, and the employment rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 60.8%. The unemployment rate declined 0.2 percentage points to 6.9%, reported Statistics Canada on Friday.
Employment growth was concentrated among men aged 25 to 54 years old (+33,000; +0.5%) and youth aged 15 to 24 years old (+21,000; +0.8%), said the federal agency.
“There were more people working in wholesale and retail trade (+41,000; +1.4%), transportation and warehousing (+30,000; +2.8%), information, culture, and recreation (+25,000; +3.0%), and utilities (+7,600; +4.6%). On the other hand, employment declined in construction (-15,000; -0.9%),” it said.
“Employment increased in Ontario (+55,000; +0.7%) and in Newfoundland and Labrador (+4,400; +1.8%), while it declined in Nova Scotia (-4,400; -0.8%) and Manitoba (-4,000; -0.5%).
“Average hourly wages among employees increased 3.5% (+$1.27 to $37.06) on a year-over-year basis in October, following growth of 3.3% in September (not seasonally adjusted).”
Statistics Canada said employment growth was the second consecutive monthly increase. Cumulative gains in September and October (+127,000; +0.6%) have offset cumulative declines observed in July and August (-106,000; -0.5%).
The employment rate—the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who are employed—rose by 0.2 percentage points to 60.8% in October, also the second consecutive monthly increase. The employment rate in October was unchanged on a year-over-year basis but remained below the recent high of 61.1% recorded in January and February 2025, explained the federal agency.
“Private sector employment rose by 73,000 (+0.5%) in October, the first increase since June. There was little change in the number of public sector employees and in the number of self-employed workers in October.”
Mario Toneguzzi
Mario Toneguzzi is Managing Editor of Canada’s Entrepreneur. He has more than 40 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist, and editor. He was named in 2021 and 2024 as one of the top business journalists in the world by PR News. He was also named by RETHINK to its global list of Top Retail Experts 2024 and 2025.
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