Private-sector payrolls fell by 53,000, youth unemployment climbed and nearly one-quarter of jobless people had searched for at least 27 weeks

Thunder Bay – National News — Canada’s unemployment rate rose to 6.7 per cent in October as employment was virtually unchanged, adding to signs that finding work has become harder even without a broad surge in layoffs.

Statistics Canada said Friday that employment slipped by 4,700 positions, a change the agency considers little movement in a labour force of more than 21 million people. The employment rate — the share of people aged 15 and older who are working — fell 0.1 percentage points to 60.5 per cent, its third monthly decline in a row.

The national unemployment rate increased 0.2 percentage points for a second consecutive month. About 1.5 million people were unemployed in October, and 23.7 per cent had been searching continuously for work for 27 weeks or longer. That long-term share was 21.5 per cent a year earlier and averaged 17.2 per cent in the same months from 2017 to 2019.

Private and public employment moved in opposite directions

The number of private-sector employees fell by 53,000 in October, the first monthly decrease since February. Public-sector employment rose by 50,000 after four consecutive monthly declines. Compared with October 2025, public-sector employment was down 70,000, while private-sector employment was up 35,000.

Wholesale and retail trade lost 29,000 positions. Construction gained 16,000 and educational services added 15,000. Average hourly wages rose 2.2 per cent from a year earlier to $37.89, a gain of 83 cents.

The job-finding rate also remained weak. Just 18.9 per cent of people who were unemployed in September had found work in October, compared with 19.8 per cent a year earlier and a pre-pandemic average of 24.6 per cent for the same transition months. The layoff rate was little changed from a year earlier.

Youth and Alberta post sharper setbacks

Youth unemployment rose 0.7 percentage points to 13.7 per cent. The rate for people aged 55 and older increased to 5.5 per cent, while rates for people aged 25 to 54 were unchanged.

Alberta lost 24,000 jobs and its unemployment rate jumped 0.9 percentage points to 7.3 per cent. Ontario’s rate also reached 7.3 per cent as more people looked for work. British Columbia gained 12,000 jobs, while Quebec’s unemployment rate fell to 5.7 per cent because fewer people were searching.

Statistics Canada also found 29.7 per cent of people aged 15 and older lived in households that had difficulty meeting necessary expenses during the previous four weeks. That was two percentage points higher than in October 2025.

The next Labour Force Survey is scheduled for Dec. 4 and will cover labour-market conditions during the week of Nov. 8 to 14.