Canada’s unemployment rate rose 0.3 percentage points to 6.8% in December as more people searched for work across the country.
Overall employment in Canada was little changed in the final month of 2025, adding just 8,200 net new jobs, according to Statistics Canada. As a result, the employment rate held firm at 60%.
Employment rose among people aged 55 and older (+33,000), while it fell among youth aged 15 to 24 (-27,000).
More Canadians were working in healthcare and social assistance (+21,000), as well as in 'other services' such as personal and repair services (+15,000).
At the same time, fewer people were employed in professional, scientific and technical services (-18,000), accommodation and food services (-12,000), and utilities (-5,300).
Full-time employment throughout Canada rose by 50,000 positions in December while part-time employment declined by 42,000.
Across the country, employment rose in Quebec (+16,000) while it fell in Alberta (-14,000) and Saskatchewan (-4,000). There was little employment change in other regions of Canada.
Average hourly wages among employees increased 3.4% in December, or $1.23 to $37.06. That builds on gains of 3.6% in November 2025.
The latest labour market survey arrives amid mounting evidence that the Canadian economy is slowing due to U.S. tariffs and other macroeconomic factors.
