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Highlights
Employment increased by 83,000 (+0.4%) in June and the employment rate rose by 0.1 percentage points to 60.9%. The unemployment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 6.9%.
Employment rose among core-aged (25 to 54 years old) men (+62,000; +0.8%) and core-aged women (+29,000; +0.4%). There was little employment change among youth and people aged 55 years and older.
There were employment increases in wholesale and retail trade (+34,000; +1.1%), as well as in health care and social assistance (+17,000; +0.6%). Employment declined in agriculture (-6,000; -2.6%) and was little changed in other industries.
Employment increased in Alberta (+30,000; +1.2%), Quebec (+23,000; +0.5%), Ontario (+21,000; +0.3%) and Manitoba (+8,500; +1.2%), while it declined in Newfoundland and Labrador (-3,500; -1.4%) and Nova Scotia (-3,400; -0.6%).
Total hours worked rose 0.5% in June and were up 1.6% compared with 12 months earlier.
Average hourly wages among employees increased 3.2% (+$1.10 to $36.01) on a year-over-year basis in June, following growth of 3.4% in May (not seasonally adjusted).
Employment increases for the first time since January
Employment rose by 83,000 (+0.4%) in June, the first increase since January. Employment growth was concentrated in part-time work (+70,000; +1.8%).
Chart 1 
Employment rate rises in June
The employment rate—the proportion of the population aged 15 years and older who are employed—increased by 0.1 percentage points to 60.9% in June. The employment rate had previously recorded a cumulative decline of 0.3 percentage points in March and April and had held steady in May.
The number of employees increased in both the private (+47,000; +0.3%) and public (+23,000; +0.5%) sectors in June, while the number of self-employed workers was little changed.
More core-aged men and women employed
Employment increases in June were concentrated among people in the core working age (25 to 54 years old). For core-aged men, employment increased by 62,000 (+0.8%), more than offsetting the decline in May (-31,000; -0.4%). The employment rate for men in this age group rose 0.6 percentage points to 86.6% in June.
Among core-aged women, employment rose by 29,000 (+0.4%), building on an increase of 42,000 (+0.6%) in May. The employment rate among core-aged women was up 0.2 percentage points to 80.3% in June.
Despite increases in the month, employment rates of both core-aged men and core-aged women were little changed on a year-over-year basis in June.
Infographic 1
Employment rate by age group, June 2025
Unemployment rate ticks down to 6.9%
The unemployment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 6.9% in June, the first decrease since January. Prior to this decline, the unemployment rate had increased for three consecutive months ending in May 2025, reaching its highest level (7.0%) since September 2016 (excluding 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic).
In June, the unemployment rate among core-aged women fell 0.3 percentage points to 5.4%. Among core-aged men, it was little changed at 6.1%, as the number of job searchers held steady despite the employment gains.
Chart 2
Unemployment rate falls to 6.9% in June
The youth unemployment rate held steady at 14.2% in June and was up 0.7 percentage points on a year-over-year basis. It remained significantly above its pre-pandemic average of 10.8% recorded from 2017 to 2019.
The unemployment rate among people aged 55 years and older was little changed at 5.4% in June and was up slightly (+0.3 percentage points) on a year-over-year basis.
Infographic 2
Unemployment rate by age group, June 2025
Long-term unemployment up, layoff rates hold steady
There were 1.6 million unemployed people in June, little changed in the month but up 128,000 (+9.0%) on a year-over-year basis.
Compared with one year earlier, long-term unemployment was up in June 2025. Over one in five unemployed people (21.8%) had been searching for work for 27 weeks or more in June, an increase from 17.7% in June 2024.
At the same time, the layoff rate in June was virtually unchanged on a year-over-year basis and remained low relative to historical averages outside of recessionary periods. The proportion of people who were employed in May and became unemployed in June as a result of a layoff was 0.5%, similar to the rate observed over the corresponding months in 2024 (0.6%). In comparison, the corresponding layoff rate averaged 0.6% from 2017 to 2019, prior to the pandemic (not seasonally adjusted).
Unemployment rate for returning students rises on a year-over-year basis in June
From May to August, the Labour Force Survey collects labour market information about students who attended school full time in March and who intend to return to school full time in the fall.
In June, the unemployment rate for returning students aged 15 to 24 years was 17.4%, up from 15.8% in June 2024 and up 7.2 percentage points from the record low observed in June 2022 (10.2%), during a tight labour market (not seasonally adjusted). This was the highest unemployment rate for the month of June since 2009 (excluding the pandemic period).
Chart 3
Unemployment rate for returning students, month of June, 1977 to 2025
Prior to June, the summer job season had started slowly in May, when the unemployment rate of young returning students reached 20.1%, comparable with levels last observed in 2009.
Teenagers and older youth alike faced higher unemployment rates in June compared with 12 months earlier. For returning students aged 15 to 16 years, the unemployment rate was up 3.3 percentage points to 27.8%; for those aged 17 to 19 years, it was up 1.8 percentage points to 19.0%, while for those aged 20 to 24 years, it edged up 1.2 percentage points to 12.3%.
More people employed in wholesale and retail trade and in health care and social assistance
Employment in wholesale and retail trade increased by 34,000 (+1.1%) in June, the second consecutive monthly gain. The increase in June was concentrated in retail trade (+38,000; +1.7%). On a year-over-year basis, employment in wholesale and retail trade was up by 84,000 (+2.9%).
Chart 4
Employment change by industry, June 2025
Employment also rose in health care and social assistance (+17,000; +0.6%) in June, the first notable change since December 2024. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment in the industry grew by 78,000 (+2.8%) in June 2025.
Agriculture was the only industry with a notable employment decline (-6,000; -2.6%) in June. On a year-over-year basis, employment in agriculture was little changed.
More people employed in Alberta, Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba
In Alberta, employment rose by 30,000 (+1.2%) in June, driven by full-time work. This marked the second increase in three months in the province. The unemployment rate in Alberta fell 0.6 percentage points to 6.8% in June.
Employment increased in Quebec (+23,000; +0.5%) in June, the second increase in three months. Wholesale and retail trade (+14,000; +2.1%) accounted for the majority of the increase in the month. Despite the employment gain, the unemployment rate in the province rose 0.5 percentage points to 6.3% in June, as more people searched for work.
Employment rose in Ontario (+21,000; +0.3%) in June, following declines totalling 62,000 (-0.8%) in March and April and little change in May. The unemployment rate in Ontario stood at 7.8% in June, little changed from May.
In the Windsor census metropolitan area (CMA), the unemployment rate has increased markedly in recent months amidst trade disruptions in automotive manufacturing industries. The unemployment rate in Windsor was 11.2% in June, the highest among the CMAs. Since January 2025, it has increased 2.1 percentage points (three-month moving averages).
Employment also increased in Manitoba (+8,500; +1.2%) in June, the second gain in three months. The unemployment rate in the province (5.5%) was down 0.4 percentage points in June but was little changed from 12 months earlier.
Meanwhile, employment fell in Newfoundland and Labrador (-3,500; -1.4%) and in Nova Scotia (-3,400; -0.6%). Despite the employment declines, the unemployment rates varied little in both provinces in June (at 9.9% in Newfoundland and Labrador and at 6.7% in Nova Scotia).
Map 1
Unemployment rate by province and territory, June 2025
Focus on Canada and the United States: Unemployment rate edges down both in Canada and the United States in June
Comparisons between the labour market situation in Canada and in the United States can be made by adjusting Canadian data to US concepts. For more information, see "Measuring Employment and Unemployment in Canada and the United States – A comparison."
Adjusted to US concepts, the Canadian unemployment rate for people aged 16 years and older declined 0.1 percentage points to 5.7% in June. In the United States, the unemployment rate also edged down 0.1 percentage points to 4.1%.
Compared with 12 months earlier, the unemployment rate in June was up 0.3 percentage points in Canada and unchanged in the United States. As a result, the gap between the unemployment rates of the two countries has increased slightly over the period.
Also adjusted to US concepts, the employment rate was 61.5% in Canada in June, compared with 59.7% in the United States. The employment rate has typically been higher in Canada than in the United States, reflecting in part the higher labour force participation rates of core-aged women. The employment rate in June of women aged 25 to 54 years (adjusted to US concepts) was 80.3% in Canada and 75.2% in the United States.
For more data and insights on areas touched by the socio-economic relationship between Canada and the United States, see the Focus on Canada and the United States webpage.
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Sustainable Development Goals
On January 1, 2016, the world officially began implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—the United Nations' transformative plan of action that addresses urgent global challenges over the next 15 years. The plan is based on 17 specific sustainable development goals.
The Labour Force Survey is an example of how Statistics Canada supports the reporting on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. This release will be used in helping to measure the following goals:
Note to readers
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates for June reflect labour market conditions during the reference week of June 15 to 21, 2025.
The sample size of the LFS is approximately 65,000 households, representing over 100,000 respondents each month. For more information, see the Guide to the Labour Force Survey.
This analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 68% confidence level. Monthly estimates may show more sampling variability than trends observed over longer periods. For more information, see "Interpreting Monthly Changes in Employment from the Labour Force Survey."
LFS estimates at the Canada level do not include the territories.
The LFS estimates are the first in a series of labour market indicators released by Statistics Canada, which includes indicators from programs such as the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH); Employment Insurance Statistics; and the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey. For more information on the conceptual differences between employment measures from the LFS and those from the SEPH, refer to section 8 of the Guide to the Labour Force Survey.
The employment rate is the number of employed people as a percentage of the population aged 15 years and older. The rate for a particular group (for example, youth aged 15 to 24 years) is the number employed in that group as a percentage of the population for that group.
The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force (employed and unemployed).
The participation rate is the number of employed and unemployed people as a percentage of the population aged 15 years and older.
Full-time employment consists of persons who usually work 30 hours or more per week at their main or only job.
Part-time employment consists of persons who usually work less than 30 hours per week at their main or only job.
Total hours worked refers to the number of hours actually worked at the main job by the respondent during the reference week, including paid and unpaid hours. These hours reflect temporary decreases or increases in work hours (for example, hours lost due to illness, vacation, holidays or weather; or more hours worked due to overtime).
This release refers to the gender of a person. The category "men" includes men, as well as some non-binary persons. The category "women" includes women, as well as some non-binary persons. Given that the non-binary population is small, data aggregation to a two-category gender variable is necessary to protect the confidentiality of responses provided.
Seasonal adjustment
Unless otherwise stated, estimates presented in this release are seasonally adjusted, which facilitates comparisons by removing the effects of typical seasonal variations. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
Population growth in the Labour Force Survey
The LFS target population includes all persons aged 15 years and older whose usual place of residence is in Canada, with some exceptions (those living on reserves, full-time members of the regular Armed Forces and persons living in institutions). The target population includes temporary residents—that is, those with a valid work or study permit, their families, and refugee claimants—as well as permanent residents (landed immigrants) and the Canadian-born.
Information gathered from LFS respondents is weighted to represent the survey target population using population calibration totals. These totals are updated each month, using the most recently available information on population changes derived from Canada's official population estimates, with minor adjustments being made to reflect the LFS target population.
While the LFS population totals are generally aligned with official demographic estimates, the official estimates should be considered the official measure of population change in Canada. More information on how population totals in the LFS are calculated can be found in the article "Interpreting population totals from the Labour Force Survey."
Regional unemployment rates used by the Employment Insurance program
As a result of a temporary measure in effect from April 6 to October 11, 2025, the unemployment rates are adjusted by one percentage point (to a maximum of 13.1%) in all Employment Insurance economic regions, ensuring that no region has an unemployment rate less than 7.1%. Regions with an unemployment rate of 13.1% or higher keep their actual rate. For more information, see Temporary Employment Insurance measures to respond to major changes in economic conditions.
Updates to the Labour Force Survey sample design beginning in April 2025
Every 10 years, the LFS sample is redesigned to reflect changes in population characteristics and updated geographical boundaries. The updated sample design—based on the 2021 Census population characteristics and the 2021 Standard Geographical Classification—is being phased in from April to September 2025. For more information, see Section 4 of the Guide to the Labour Force Survey.
Data for the Labour Market Indicators program are now available for June 2025.
Next release
The next release of the LFS will be on August 8. July data will reflect labour market conditions during the week of July 13 to 19.
Products
More information about the concepts and use of the Labour Force Survey is available online in the Guide to the Labour Force Survey (71-543-G).
The product "Labour Force Survey in brief: Interactive app" (14200001) is also available. This interactive visualization application provides seasonally adjusted estimates by province, gender, age group and industry.
The product "Labour Market Indicators, by province and census metropolitan area, seasonally adjusted" (71-607-X) is also available. This interactive dashboard provides customizable access to key labour market indicators.
The product "Labour Market Indicators, by province, territory and economic region, unadjusted for seasonality" (71-607-X) is also available. This dynamic web application provides access to labour market indicators for Canada, provinces, territories and economic regions.
The product "Labour market indicators, census metropolitan areas, census agglomerations and self-contained labour areas: Interactive dashboard" (71-607-X) is also available. This dashboard allows users to visually explore the estimates using an interactive map as well as time series charts and tables.
The product Labour Force Survey: Public Use Microdata File (71M0001X) is also available. This public use microdata file contains non-aggregated data for a wide variety of variables collected from the Labour Force Survey. The data have been modified to ensure that no individual or business is directly or indirectly identified. This product is for users who prefer to do their own analysis by focusing on specific subgroups in the population or by cross-classifying variables that are not in our catalogued products.
Source - https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/
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