CanadaLabourSeptember 2016–August 2026 · Monthly

How did the labour force characteristics for employment rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted change in Canada?

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The answer

Labour force characteristics for employment rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted decreased in Canada.

Overall change
-0.4 percentage points
Decrease
Start · September 2016
61.2%
Latest · August 2026
60.8%

Statistics Canada · Table 14-10-0287-01Updated

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What this answer shows

Measure
Labour force characteristics for employment rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted
Area shown
Canada
Period
September 2016–August 2026Monthly
Unit
Percent

Selected details

Measure
Employment rate
Age group
15 years and over
Data type
Seasonally adjusted
Geographic coverage
Canada, excluding the territories

Labour force characteristics for employment rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted fell from 61.2% to 60.8% between September 2016 and August 2026—a decrease of 0.4 percentage points. It reached an observed low of 51.9% in April 2020 before ending at 60.8% in August 2026.

Evidence prepared Revision c9882d908d7bView data updates

Citation-ready data

Labour force characteristics for employment rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted in Canada

Monthly · 120 observations · September 2016–August 2026

Selected periodAugust 2026
  • Labour force characteristics for employment rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted60.8%
Labour force characteristics for employment rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted fell from 61.2% to 60.8% between September 2016 and August 2026—a decrease of 0.4 percentage points. It reached an observed low of 51.9% in April 2020 before ending at 60.8% in August 2026. The chart covers September 2016 to August 2026. Values are shown in Percent.Percent50%55%60%65%September 2016May 2018January 2020September 2021April 2023December 2024August 202661.2%60.8%

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The vertical scale is focused on the observed values and does not start at zero.

Observed high
62.5%March 2023
Observed low
51.9%April 2020
Exact values120 observations · September 2016–August 2026

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Labour force characteristics for employment rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted in Canada
PeriodLabour force characteristics for employment rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted
August 2026Latest60.8%
July 202660.9%
June 202660.8%
May 202660.7%
April 202660.5%
March 202660.6%
February 202660.6%
January 202660.8%
December 202560.9%
November 202560.9%
October 202560.8%
September 202560.6%
August 202560.5%
July 202560.7%
June 202560.9%
May 202560.7%
April 202560.8%
March 202560.9%
February 202561%
January 202561.1%
December 202461.1%
November 202460.9%
October 202460.9%
September 202461%
August 202461.1%
July 202461.1%
June 202461.3%
May 202461.5%
April 202461.6%
March 202461.6%
February 202461.7%
January 202461.8%
December 202361.9%
November 202362%
October 202362.1%
September 202362.2%
August 202362.3%
July 202362.2%
June 202362.3%
May 202362.3%
April 202362.4%
March 202362.5%
February 202362.4%
January 202362.4%
December 202262.3%
November 202262.1%
October 202262.1%
September 202262%
August 202262%
July 202262.2%
June 202262.1%
May 202262.3%
April 202262.2%
March 202262.1%
February 202262.1%
January 202261.2%
December 202161.9%
November 202161.8%
October 202161.4%
September 202161.3%
August 202160.8%
July 202160.7%
June 202160.4%
May 202159.6%
April 202159.8%
March 202160.4%
February 202159.7%
January 202158.9%
December 202059.6%
November 202059.8%
October 202059.7%
September 202059.6%
August 202058.2%
July 202057.5%
June 202056.2%
May 202052.9%
April 202051.9%
March 202058.3%
February 202062.1%
January 202062.1%
December 201962.2%
November 201961.9%
October 201962.1%
September 201962.3%
August 201962.3%
July 201962.2%
June 201962.4%
May 201962.4%
April 201962.4%
March 201962.1%
February 201962.3%
January 201962.2%
December 201862.2%
November 201862.1%
October 201862%
September 201862%
August 201861.8%
July 201862%
June 201861.9%
May 201861.8%
April 201861.8%
March 201862%
February 201861.8%
January 201861.9%
December 201762.2%
November 201762%
October 201761.8%
September 201761.8%
August 201761.8%
July 201761.9%
June 201761.8%
May 201761.6%
April 201761.6%
March 201761.6%
February 201761.5%
January 201761.4%
December 201661.3%
November 201661.2%
October 201661.2%
September 201661.2%

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About this data

How to read this measureThe employment rate is the number of persons employed expressed as a percentage of the population 15 years of age and over. The employment rate for a particular group (age, gender, marital status, etc. ) is the number employed in that group expressed as a percentage of the population for that group. Estimates are percentages, rounded to the nearest tenth.

Data shown through August 2026Table updated

These are the selections used for this answer. The full Statistics Canada table (14-10-0287-01) contains other measures and breakdowns.

Adapted from Statistics Canada, Labour force characteristics, monthly, seasonally adjusted and trend-cycle, 2026-09-04. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

How this answer was calculatedThe headline compares the first and last observations shown. Overall change is the last percentage minus the first and is reported in percentage points. Intermediate observations remain visible in the chart and exact values. This is descriptive and does not identify causes.