Canada's job market regains traction in November

Canada’s job market regained some traction in November as hiring picked up, unemployment retreated and wage growth held steady, according to new figures from Statistics Canada.

The latest Labour Force Survey shows employment climbing and job seekers having an easier time finding work than earlier in the year, even as labour force participation edged lower.

Statistics Canada reports that employment rose by 54,000 in November, marking the third straight monthly gain after a sluggish first half of the year. The national employment rate ticked up to 60.9%, while the unemployment rate fell to 6.5%, reversing part of the run‑up that had pushed joblessness to its highest level in nearly a decade this fall.

The agency notes that cumulative gains of 181,000 jobs over September, October and November followed “a slow start to the year, with little net employment change from January to August.”

Employment rate

The shift is particularly significant given that the unemployment rate had climbed to 7.1% in September, the highest since May 2016 outside the pandemic years, before easing in October and again in November. In total, the number of unemployed people fell by 80,000 in November to about 1.5 million, with nearly one in five job seekers in October having found work by the following month.

Youth finally catch a break

One of the most striking developments in the November report is the sharp turnaround for young workers, who had “bore the brunt of a difficult labour market through most of 2025,” Statistics Canada notes. Employment for those aged 15 to 24 jumped by 50,000, a gain of 1.8%, following an increase of 21,000 in October.

These back‑to‑back advances are the first meaningful job gains for youth since the beginning of the year.

The youth employment rate reached 55.3% in November, up 1.7 percentage points from a low point in July. At the same time, the youth unemployment rate fell for a second consecutive month, dropping 1.3 percentage points to 12.8%, after having peaked at 14.7% in September—the highest level since 2010, excluding the pandemic years.

Ottawa recently launched a national consultation to address challenges in youth employment and develop strategies to help young workers secure sustainable careers.

Core-aged workers in Canada see gains

Conditions have also improved for core‑aged workers, although November itself brought little change for this group. Employment among those aged 25 to 54 was broadly stable in the month after two months of growth but remains higher than in late summer.

Compared with August, employment in November was up by 80,000 (1.2%) for core‑aged women and 63,000 (0.9%) for core‑aged men, according to the federal agency.

Among core‑aged men, the unemployment rate fell to 5.6% in November, marking a third consecutive monthly decline and effectively erasing increases recorded earlier in 2025. For core‑aged women, the jobless rate edged down to 5.5%, roughly matching the 5.6% rate seen at the start of the year.

Part‑time work sees surge in November

Behind November’s headline employment gain was a surge in part‑time positions. Statistics Canada says “employment growth in November was driven by a rise in part-time employment” of 63,000, an increase of 1.6%.

Over the past three months, part‑time work has grown at a much faster pace than full‑time roles, rising 2.7% (103,000 jobs) compared with a 0.5% gain (78,000 jobs) in full‑time employment.

The agency emphasizes that most part‑time workers are in these roles by choice—often because they are in school or caring for family. Still, a significant minority remain underemployed. In November, 17.9% of people working part‑time did so involuntarily, either because of economic conditions, business constraints or an inability to secure full‑time work. That share is little changed from a year earlier (17.6%) and slightly below the 2017–2019 November average of 19.3%.

Lower national jobless rate

On the unemployment side, the lower national jobless rate reflects both fewer people in the labour force and improved outcomes for those actively seeking work. The total labour force edged down by 26,000 (-0.1%) in November, and the participation rate slipped by 0.2 percentage points to 65.1%.

Yet for those who remained in the job market, odds of success improved: among people unemployed in October, 19.6% had found a job by November, compared with 18.6% over the same period a year earlier. Statistics Canada points to this higher job‑finding rate as evidence that “job searchers were more likely to find work in November 2025 than a year earlier.”

At the same time, the layoff rate remains muted. In November, 0.7% of people who had been employed in October became unemployed due to layoffs, a proportion essentially unchanged from a year earlier and in line with averages from 2017 to 2019. The relative stability of layoffs throughout 2025, highlighted by Statistics Canada, suggests that recent swings in the unemployment rate have been more closely tied to hiring and participation than to widespread job cuts.

Health care, hospitality and natural resources fuel increases

On the industry front, health care and social assistance once again led job creation. Statistics Canada reports that this sector saw an increase of 46,000 positions in November, a monthly rise of 1.6%. Over the previous 12 months, employment in health care and social assistance was up by 79,000, or 2.8%. Growth over the year was strongest among self‑employed workers, with a 7.9% increase, followed by private‑sector employees (up 3.3%), while public‑sector employment in the sector grew just 1.0%.

Accommodation and food services recorded a gain of 14,000 jobs in November, up 1.2%. This is particularly notable because it marked the “first monthly increase in this industry since January,” according to Statistics Canada, suggesting a tentative rebound in a sector that had been flat or declining for much of the year. Natural resources employment also climbed by 11,000 (3.4%), the second increase in three months, though overall employment in that sector was little changed compared with a year earlier.

Not all industries shared in the improvement. Wholesale and retail trade shed 34,000 jobs in November, a decline of 1.1% that largely offset a strong gain in October (+41,000). The steepest declines were in Ontario, where employment in the sector fell by 20,000 (1.7%), and in Quebec, which saw a drop of 9,700 (1.4%). Even so, Statistics Canada notes that employment in wholesale and retail trade was still up by 44,000, or 1.5%, compared with November of the previous year.

Overall, the private sector drove much of the employment growth in November. The number of private‑sector employees increased by 52,000 (0.4%), while public‑sector payrolls and the number of self‑employed workers were little changed. For policymakers and employers, Statistics Canada’s breakdown underscores that the labour market’s momentum is being propelled largely by private hiring rather than government expansion.

Alberta leads provinces as regional picture brightens

Regionally, Alberta stood out as the strongest performer in November. Employment in the province jumped by 29,000, an increase of 1.1% and the second notable advance in three months. On a year‑over‑year basis, Alberta has added 105,000 jobs, or 4.2%. The provincial unemployment rate dropped 1.3 percentage points to 6.5%, the lowest since March 2024. Statistics Canada also highlights improvements in the major urban centres: unemployment fell in the Calgary census metropolitan area to 7.3% and in Edmonton to 7.7% (on a three‑month moving average basis).

New Brunswick and Manitoba also saw gains. Employment in New Brunswick rose by 5,500 (1.4%), while Manitoba added 4,500 jobs (0.6%), with both provinces posting their second increase in three months. New Brunswick’s unemployment rate declined sharply, down 1.3 percentage points to 6.6%. In Manitoba, the jobless rate was effectively unchanged at 6.1%.

In contrast, employment was “little changed in the other provinces,” according to Statistics Canada, highlighting an uneven regional landscape. Ontario and Quebec, Canada’s two largest labour markets, showed minimal job growth in November and little net employment change since January. Yet both provinces recorded modest declines in unemployment as fewer people sought work.

Ontario’s jobless rate dipped 0.3 percentage points to 7.3%, while Quebec’s held relatively steady at 5.1%. In the country’s biggest metropolitan areas, the unemployment rate decreased to 8.4% in Toronto and 5.9% in Montréal, based on three‑month moving averages.