Statistics Canada said employment fell by 68,000, or 0.3%, in September 2026, for the reference period of September 13 to 19. The unemployment rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 6.5%, the employment rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 60.6%, and the labour force participation rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 64.8%. The decline was split between full-time employment, down 35,000, or 0.2%, and part-time employment, down 33,000, or 0.9%, the agency said in its monthly Labour Force Survey.
By industry, Statistics Canada reported declines in educational services (-35,000, or -2.2%), health care and social assistance (-23,000, or -0.8%), and manufacturing (-13,000, or -0.7%). It reported growth in other services, a category covering repair, maintenance and personal services, which rose 17,000, or 2.1%.
Statistics Canada said employment among youth aged 15 to 24 fell by 48,000, or 1.8%, and among core-aged women aged 25 to 54 fell by 28,000, or 0.4%, with the unemployment rate for that group rising to 5.3%.
By region, the agency reported employment declines in Quebec (-49,000, or -1.1%), British Columbia (-20,000, or -0.7%) and Manitoba (-4,400, or -0.6%), and increases in Alberta (+23,000, or +0.9%), Newfoundland and Labrador (+1,800, or +0.7%) and Prince Edward Island (+1,000, or 1.0%).
Statistics Canada said average hourly wages among employees rose 2.3% year over year, up 86 cents, to $37.64. It also reported that public sector employment fell by 70,000, or 1.5%, for a fourth consecutive month, self-employment fell by 23,000, or 0.8%, the job-finding rate declined to 30.6% from 32.8% a year earlier, and the layoff rate was 0.7%, compared with 0.6% a year earlier.