Which sectors are seeing the biggest drops in confidence?
Canadian employees are feeling less secure in their jobs than they did two years ago, according to new figures from Statistics Canada.
In November 2025, 73.6 per cent of employees aged 15 to 69 reported feeling secure in their job, meaning they did not believe they would lose their job in the next six months.
That proportion was down 4.1 percentage points from November 2023, the last time comparable data were collected in the Labour Force Survey, according to Statistics Canada.
“This lower sense of job security may reflect a more uncertain economic environment, industry-specific concerns with layoffs and other factors,” according to the government agency.
It warned that “lower job security can negatively impact the mental health and well-being of employees.”
Young Canadians feeling least secure
The figures show that younger workers remain the least likely to feel secure in their jobs, although confidence has fallen across all age groups since 2023.
In November 2025, 65.3 per cent of youth employees felt secure in their job, compared with 74.9 per cent of core‑aged employees and 75.0 per cent of those aged 55 to 69.
The agency added that “declines in the perception of job security from November 2023 to November 2025 were observed across all age groups,” according to the report.
Similar to November 2023, a slightly smaller proportion of men felt secure in their job (72.5 per cent) compared with women (74.7 per cent), Statistics Canada said.
According to a previous study, 78 per cent believe that no job is secure, regardless of performance, and 75 per cent say job security is becoming a thing of the past.
Job security among sectors
The largest decline in perceived job security between November 2023 and November 2025 was recorded in public administration, according to Statistics Canada.
In that sector, the proportion of employees who felt secure in their job decreased by 12.0 percentage points to 77.0 per cent. Despite the decline, public administration still remained above the national average in terms of the share of employees who felt secure.
Substantial drops were also observed in educational services and professional, scientific and technical services. In educational services, perceived job security fell 8.5 percentage points to 77.6 per cent. In professional, scientific and technical services, it declined 7.5 percentage points to 69.5 per cent.
Statistics Canada also identified a clear gap in perceived job security between employees in industries heavily dependent on United States demand for Canadian exports and those in less export‑exposed sectors.
“In November 2025, employees in industries dependent on US demand for Canadian exports were less likely to feel secure in their job (68.5 per cent) than those in other industries with less dependence on US demand (74.1 per cent),” the agency said.
Compared with November 2023, the share of employees who felt secure in their job was down 6.4 percentage points in industries dependent on US demand, and down 3.9 percentage points in other industries, according to the report.
More than four in five residents of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) are feeling the effects of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, with significant implications for household budgets and job security, according to a previous report.
How can employers enhance perceived job security?
From an employee’s perspective, job security means they are unlikely to lose their job in the near future, according to Randstad.
“This could mean that they believe the business they work for is unlikely to close down in the upcoming period or that they are valued enough within their role and are unlikely to be dismissed.
“On the other hand, to an employer, job security can mean economic stability, organisational stability, or the ability to flex to changing customer needs. Promoting job security is a shared responsibility between employers and employees.”
When there is a low feeling of job security among workers, employers can suffer, notes Dina Denham Smith, an executive coach to senior leaders, in an article for the Harvard Business Review (HBR).
“Job security fears are becoming a defining part of today’s workplace, fuelled by the accelerating implementation of AI, repeated layoffs, and sustained uncertainty.
“When fear rises, it doesn’t stay abstract—it shows up in how people behave. Fear pushes employees to go quiet, avoid risk, narrow their thinking, and default to self-protection over problem-solving.”
She adds: “When leaders don’t address the unspoken fears on their teams, they end up with distorted information and reduced engagement, collaboration, and performance. The challenge is that many leaders aren’t sure how to respond to this fear—and when they’re stretched thin themselves, they may unintentionally amplify it.”
Here’s what to do to steady yourself and your team when job security fears rise, according to Smith:
- Acknowledge the fear
- Shrink the uncertainty
- Co‑create the next steps with employees
- Spread calm
- Amplify connections in the workplace
