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Monthly Jobs Report

35 minutes

11th of September, 2026

Employment declined by 42,000 (-0.2%) in August, while the employment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 60.8%.

The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.4% in August, following three consecutive monthly declines from May to July.

Employment declined among youth aged 15 to 24 (-0.7%) and declined slightly among core-aged workers aged 25 to 54 (-0.1%). The unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points for core-aged men to 6.0%, while it declined by 0.2 percentage points for core-aged women to 5.0%.

For people aged 55 and older, the unemployment rate was little changed at 5.1%, as employment held steady. The employment rate for people between the ages of 55 and 64 was 64.3% in August, little changed both in the month and on a year-over-year basis. The youth employment rate remained at 55.1%, but was 1.2 percentage points higher than it was a year earlier.

Employment trends varied by age in August. Youth aged 15 to 24 saw declines in both full-time (-0.4%) and part-time (-1.0%) employment. Among people aged 25 and over, full-time employment declined slightly (-0.2%), with decreases among both women (-0.3%) and men (-0.1%).

Part-time employment increased by 0.3% for this age group, with an increase among men (+0.8%), while employment among women was little changed.

Employment declined in business, building and other support services (-2.8%), public administration (-0.7%), natural resources (-2.3%), and utilities (-3.5%). In contrast, manufacturing employment increased by 1.2%.

This Month in the Labour Market

Every month, Adecco Canada interprets the data from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey. Here’s what happened in August:

Labour market strengthens as employment increases and unemployment rate declines

Canada’s labour market saw some declines in August, with employment declining by 42,000 (-0.2%). This followed a cumulative increase of 181,000 (+0.9%) from April to July. Despite the monthly decline, employment was up 217,000 (+1.0%) compared with August 2025.

The employment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 60.8%, while the participation rate (the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who were employed or looking for work) also declined by 0.1 percentage points to 65.0%.

Unemployment rate remains at 6.4%

The unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.4% in August, following three consecutive monthly declines from May to July.

Among core-aged workers, the unemployment rate increased for men by 0.2 percentage points to 6.0%, while it declined for women by 0.2 percentage points to 5.0%.

The unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 24 was 12.9%, while it remained at 5.1% for people aged 55 and older.

Employment declines across Quebec and Ontario

Employment declined in Quebec (-19,000; -0.4%) and declined slightly in Ontario (-18,000; -0.2%) in August. Quebec was the only province to record a year-over-year decline in employment, down 54,000 (-1.2%).

In contrast, employment in New Brunswick increased by 2,400 (+0.6%), while employment was little changed in the other provinces.

Employment declines across several industries

Employment declined across several industries in August, including business, building and other support services (-20,000; -2.8%), public administration (-8,800; -0.7%), natural resources (-7,700; -2.3%), and utilities (-5,600; -3.5%).

Manufacturing was the only sector to record a significant increase, with employment rising by 22,000 (+1.2%).

Over the 12 months to August, employment growth was concentrated in health care and social assistance (+129,000; +4.5%), information, culture and recreation (+49,000; +5.9%), and transportation and warehousing (+47,000; +4.4%).

Spotlight: Wage growth loses momentum

Average hourly wages among employees increased 2.0% year over year in August, reaching $37.02. Year-over-year wage growth was 2.8% in July and 3.3% in June.

Wage growth was more modest among lower-wage employees. Average hourly wages increased 1.1% (to $18.66) for workers in the bottom 25% of the wage distribution and 1.3% (to $26.61) for those in the second-lowest 25%. In comparison, wages increased 2.1% for employees in both the third and top wage groups.

Don’t have time for a long reading? We’ve summarized the key takeaways from this month:

Employment declined by 0.2% in August (-42,000), while the employment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 60.8%. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.4%.
Employment declined among youth aged 15 to 24 (-19,000; -0.7%) and edged down among people aged 25 to 54 (-16,000; -0.1%).
Employment declined in Quebec (-0.4%) and edged down in Ontario (-0.2%), while New Brunswick recorded an increase of 0.6%. Employment was little changed in the other provinces.
The unemployment rate increased among core-aged men by 0.2 percentage points to 6.0%, while it declined by 0.2 percentage points among core-aged women to 5.0%. The unemployment rate was little changed among youth (12.9%) and people aged 55 and older (5.1%).
Employment declined in business, building and other support services (-2.8%), public administration (-0.7%), natural resources (-2.3%), and utilities (-3.5%). In contrast, manufacturing employment increased by 1.2%.
Average hourly wages among employees increased by 2.0% year over year in August, rising by $0.71 to $37.02. This followed a 2.8% year-over-year increase in July (not seasonally adjusted).

References

Statistics Canada. (2026). Table 14-10-0287-01 Labour force characteristics, monthly, seasonally adjusted and trend-cycle, last 5 months [Data table]. https://doi.org/10.25318/1410028701-eng

Statistics Canada. (2026). Table 14-10-0355-01 Employment by industry, monthly, seasonally adjusted and unadjusted, and trend-cycle, last 5 months (x 1,000) [Data table]. https://doi.org/10.25318/1410035501-eng