Canada’s job market holds steady in December as unemployment rises to 6.8%
Latest news on WhatsApp أجدد الأخبار على واتسابStatistics Canada reported that employment in Canada was little changed in December 2025, edging up by about 8,200 jobs, while the employment rate held steady at 60.9%.
The unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage points to 6.8% as more people searched for work. The number of unemployed increased to about 1.6 million, up 73,000 from the previous month, and the participation rate rose 0.3 points to 65.4%.
Full-time employment increased by about 50,000, while part-time employment fell by about 42,000. Employment rose among people aged 55 and older (+33,000) but declined among youth aged 15 to 24 (-27,000), pushing the youth unemployment rate up to 13.3%.
By industry, employment increased in health care and social assistance (+21,000) and “other services” such as personal and repair services (+15,000). Declines were recorded in professional, scientific and technical services (-18,000), accommodation and food services (-12,000), and utilities (-5,300).
Provincially, employment was up in Quebec (+16,000) and down in Alberta (-14,000) and Saskatchewan (-4,000), with little change elsewhere. In Ontario, employment was little changed, while the unemployment rate rose to 7.9% as more people entered the job search.
Average hourly wages rose 3.4% year over year to $37.06 in December (not seasonally adjusted).
