Employment fell by 41,000 (-0.2%) in July and the employment rate declined 0.2 percentage points to 60.7%. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.9%, according to a report released Friday by Statistics Canada.
The employment decline in the month was concentrated among youth aged 15 to 24 (-34,000; -1.2%). Employment among core-aged (25 to 54 years old) people as well as among those aged 55 and older was little changed in July, said the federal agency.
Employment was down across several industries, led by information, culture and recreation (-29,000; -3.3%) and construction (-22,000; -1.3%). Employment declined in Alberta (-17,000; -0.6%) and British Columbia (-16,000; -0.5%), while it increased in Saskatchewan (+3,500; +0.6%). There was little change in the other provinces, it said.
Total hours worked in July were little changed both in the month (-0.2%) and compared with 12 months earlier (+0.3%). Average hourly wages among employees increased 3.3% (+$1.17 to $36.16) on a year-over-year basis in July, following growth of 3.2% in June (not seasonally adjusted), added Statistics Canada.
“Employment fell by 41,000 (-0.2%) in July, partly offsetting the increase in June (+83,000; +0.4%). The decline in July was concentrated in full-time work (-51,000; -0.3%). Overall, there has been little net employment growth since the beginning of the year, and the number of employed people in July was little changed compared with January (+27,000; +0.1%),” said the report.
Photo: Andrea Piacquadio
“The number of employees in the private sector fell by 39,000 (-0.3%) in July, partly offsetting a cumulative gain of 107,000 (+0.8%) in May and June. There was little change in the number of public sector employees and in the number of self-employed workers in July.”
Statistics Canada said the unemployment rate held steady at 6.9% in July, as the number of people searching for work or on temporary layoff varied little from the previous month.
“The unemployment rate had trended up earlier in 2025, rising from 6.6% in February to a recent high of 7.0% in May, before declining 0.1 percentage points in June,” it saidl
“Unemployed people continued to face difficulties finding work in July. Of the 1.6 million people who were unemployed in July, 23.8% were in long-term unemployment, meaning they had been continuously searching for work for 27 weeks or more. This was the highest share of long-term unemployment since February 1998 (excluding 2020 and 2021).
“Compared with a year earlier, unemployed job searchers were more likely to remain unemployed from one month to the next. Nearly two-thirds (64.2%) of those who were unemployed in June remained unemployed in July, higher than the corresponding proportion for the same months in 2024 (56.8%) (not seasonally adjusted).”
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.
About Us
Canada’s Entrepreneur is the number one community media platform in Canada for entrepreneurs and business owners. Established in 2016, our podcast team has interviewed over 800 Canadian entrepreneurs from coast-to-coast. With hosts in each province, entrepreneurs have a local and national format to tell their stories, talk about their journey and provide inspiration for anyone starting their entrepreneurial journey and well- established founders.
The commitment to a grass roots approach has built a loyal audience on all our social channels and YouTube – 500,000+ lifetime YouTube views, 250,000 + audio downloads, 50,000 + average monthly social impressions, 15,000 + engaged social followers and 120,000 newsletter subscribers. Canada’s Entrepreneur is proud to provide a local, national and international presence for Canadian entrepreneurs to build their brand and tell their story
