Canada's unemployment rate climbed to 6.9% in April, marking a six-month high, as the economy shed 18,000 jobs, according to Statistics Canada's latest Labour Force Survey released Friday.
The 0.2 percentage point increase from March pushed the jobless rate to its highest level since September 2025, when it stood at 7.1%. The report noted that the unemployment rate has risen by 0.4 percentage points each month since the start of 2026, though it remained largely unchanged compared to a year earlier.
Youth and Men Hit Hardest
While unemployment metrics varied little across age groups overall, significant increases were observed among younger Canadians and prime-age men. The unemployment rate for those aged 15 to 24 jumped 0.5 percentage points to 14.3%, while men aged 25 to 54 saw a 0.3 percentage point increase to 6.1%.
"The youth unemployment rate was virtually unchanged on a year-over-year basis but remained markedly above the pre-pandemic average of 10.8%," the report stated.
Provincial Divergence
Ontario recorded the largest employment gains in the country, adding 42,000 jobs (a 0.5% increase), partially offsetting declines earlier in the year. In contrast, Quebec suffered the biggest losses, shedding 43,000 jobs (a 0.9% drop), its most significant decline in three months. The losses were concentrated in the greater Montreal area, where the unemployment rate hit 7.7% in April, the highest non-pandemic-related level in nearly a decade.
Newfoundland and Labrador lost 5,200 jobs (a 2.1% drop), Saskatchewan shed 4,000 jobs (0.6%), and New Brunswick lost 2,700 jobs (0.7%). Monthly layoff rates remained steady at 0.6%.
National Trends
Across Canada, employment numbers saw little change in other provinces. The national loss of 18,000 jobs represented a 0.1% decline from March, marking the second consecutive month of minimal variation following a sharp drop of 84,000 jobs in February.
"On a year-over-year basis, employment in April was up by 67,000 (+0.3%), but recorded a net decline of 112,000 (-0.5%) over the first four months of 2026," the report noted.
The employment rate — the proportion of Canadians aged 15 and older who are currently working — fell 0.1 percentage points to 60.5%, a low not seen since August 2025, and down 0.3 percentage points year-over-year.
Part-time employment increased by 0.8% in April, while full-time employment fell 0.3%. The proportion of unemployed individuals who had been searching for work for 27 weeks or more — classified as long-term unemployment — stood at 22.5% in April, little changed from the previous month or a year earlier. However, this remains below the pandemic-era average of 17.1%.
