Canada's unemployment rate climbed to a six-month high of 6.9 percent in April, according to the latest Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada. The country lost 18,000 jobs during the month, marking the second consecutive month of little change after a sharp decline of 84,000 jobs in February.
Provincial Job Losses Vary Widely
Saskatchewan experienced a loss of 4,000 jobs, representing a 0.6 percent decline, while New Brunswick saw 2,700 jobs disappear, a 0.7 percent drop. NDP Leader Carla Beck commented on Saskatchewan's situation, stating, "This is a great province with so much potential, but our economy is going in the wrong direction."
Ontario bucked the trend with the largest employment gains in Canada, adding 42,000 jobs (a 0.5 percent increase), which partially offset earlier losses. In contrast, Quebec lost 43,000 jobs (a 0.9 percent decline), its most significant drop in three months, largely concentrated in the Montreal area where the unemployment rate reached 7.7 percent—the highest non-pandemic-related level in nearly a decade. Newfoundland and Labrador also saw a sharp decline, losing 5,200 jobs (a 2.1 percent drop).
Youth and Prime-Age Men Hit Hard
The unemployment rate varied little across age groups overall, but notable increases were seen among youth aged 15 to 24, whose rate rose 0.5 percent to 14.3 percent, and among men aged 25 to 54, which increased 0.3 percent to 6.1 percent. The report noted that youth unemployment remained markedly above the pre-pandemic average of 10.8 percent.
National Trends and Employment Rate
On a year-over-year basis, employment in April was up by 67,000 jobs (0.3 percent), but over the first four months of 2026, there was a net decline of 112,000 jobs (0.5 percent). The employment rate—the proportion of Canadians aged 15 and older who are employed—fell 0.1 percent to 60.5 percent, a level not seen since August 2025 and down 0.3 percent from a year earlier. Monthly lay-off rates remained steady at 0.6 percent.
