# Canada’s Unemployment Rate Rises to 6.7% as Employment Holds Nearly Steady

Statistics Canada reported little change in October employment, while more people searched for work and youth unemployment rose to 13.7%.

By Will Langan | 24X7 News
Published: 2026-11-06T15:08:00.552Z
Updated: 2026-11-06T15:13:51.879Z
Section: Money
Format: News
Canonical: https://24x7news.us/articles/canada-october-employment-unemployment-november-6-2026

Canada’s unemployment rate rose to 6.7% in October as more people searched for work, while overall employment was little changed, Statistics Canada reported November 6.

The rate increased by 0.2 percentage points from September. Employment edged down by 4,700, a change the agency characterized as little variation, following declines of 68,000 in September and 42,000 in August.

The employment rate, which measures the share of people aged 15 and older who have a job, fell to 60.5%. That was its third consecutive monthly decline. Overall employment was only 17,000 higher than a year earlier.

The number of private-sector employees decreased by approximately 53,000 in October. Public-sector employment increased by approximately 50,000, partly offsetting the decline. Self-employment showed little change.

The rise in unemployment reflected an increase of 33,000 in the number of people searching for work. Statistics Canada said the 6.7% unemployment rate remained below April’s recent peak of 6.9%.

Younger workers faced a larger increase. The unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 rose 0.7 percentage points to 13.7%, as youth employment edged down and more young people looked for work. Rates for men and women aged 25 to 54 were unchanged.

Wholesale and retail trade lost 29,000 jobs. Construction added 16,000 and educational services gained 15,000.

Provincial results varied. Employment fell by 24,000 in Alberta but increased by 12,000 in British Columbia. Alberta’s unemployment rate rose to 7.3%, while British Columbia’s was 6.3%.

Average hourly wages among employees were C$37.89, up 2.2% from a year earlier. The agency identified those wage figures as not seasonally adjusted.

The findings come from Canada’s Labour Force Survey. The national totals describe broad labor-market conditions and can differ from developments in individual industries and provinces.

Sources:
Statistics Canada — Labour Force Survey, October 2026, Released November 6
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/261106/dq261106a-eng.htm
Reuters — November 6 Release Report and Timing
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/canadas-unemployment-rate-edges-six-133218774.html

## Sources
- Statistics Canada: October 2026 Labour Force Survey, November 6 Release: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/261106/dq261106a-eng.htm
- Reuters: Independent November 6 Report, 8:32 a.m. Eastern: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/canadas-unemployment-rate-edges-six-133218774.html
- Image provenance: Demetri1968, CC BY-SA 3.0; archive photograph: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Main_Bldg_Ottawa.JPG