CanadaLabourSeptember 2016–August 2026 · Monthly

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

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The answer

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

Overall change
-0.8 percentage points
Decrease
Start · September 2016
65.8%
Latest · August 2026
65%

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

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What this answer shows

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

Selected details

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

Labour force characteristics for participation rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted fell from 65.8% to 65% between September 2016 and August 2026—a decrease of 0.8 percentage points. It reached an observed low of 60.1% in April 2020 before ending at 65% in August 2026.

Evidence prepared Revision c9882d908d7bView data updates

Citation-ready data

Labour force characteristics for participation 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 participation rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted65%
Labour force characteristics for participation rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted fell from 65.8% to 65% between September 2016 and August 2026—a decrease of 0.8 percentage points. It reached an observed low of 60.1% in April 2020 before ending at 65% in August 2026. The chart covers September 2016 to August 2026. Values are shown in Percent.Percent58%60%62%64%66%68%September 2016May 2018January 2020September 2021April 2023December 2024August 202665.8%65%

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

Observed high
66.2%December 2017
Observed low
60.1%April 2020
Exact values120 observations · September 2016–August 2026

Download every displayed observation in a spreadsheet-ready file.

Labour force characteristics for participation rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted in Canada
PeriodLabour force characteristics for participation rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted
August 2026Latest65%
July 202665.1%
June 202665%
May 202665%
April 202665%
March 202664.9%
February 202664.9%
January 202665%
December 202565.4%
November 202565.2%
October 202565.2%
September 202565.2%
August 202565.1%
July 202565.2%
June 202565.3%
May 202565.3%
April 202565.3%
March 202565.3%
February 202565.3%
January 202565.5%
December 202465.4%
November 202465.5%
October 202465.2%
September 202465.2%
August 202465.4%
July 202465.3%
June 202465.5%
May 202465.6%
April 202465.6%
March 202465.6%
February 202465.6%
January 202465.5%
December 202365.7%
November 202365.8%
October 202365.9%
September 202365.8%
August 202365.8%
July 202365.8%
June 202365.9%
May 202365.7%
April 202365.7%
March 202365.8%
February 202365.8%
January 202365.8%
December 202265.6%
November 202265.5%
October 202265.5%
September 202265.3%
August 202265.4%
July 202265.3%
June 202265.4%
May 202265.7%
April 202265.7%
March 202265.6%
February 202265.7%
January 202265.4%
December 202165.8%
November 202165.8%
October 202165.6%
September 202166%
August 202165.5%
July 202165.6%
June 202165.6%
May 202165%
April 202165.1%
March 202165.5%
February 202165.2%
January 202164.9%
December 202065.4%
November 202065.4%
October 202065.6%
September 202065.5%
August 202064.8%
July 202064.6%
June 202064.3%
May 202061.6%
April 202060.1%
March 202063.7%
February 202065.9%
January 202065.8%
December 201965.8%
November 201965.8%
October 201965.8%
September 201966%
August 201966.1%
July 201966%
June 201966%
May 201966%
April 201966.2%
March 201966%
February 201966.1%
January 201966%
December 201865.9%
November 201865.9%
October 201865.7%
September 201865.8%
August 201865.7%
July 201865.9%
June 201865.8%
May 201865.6%
April 201865.6%
March 201865.8%
February 201865.8%
January 201865.8%
December 201766.2%
November 201766.1%
October 201766%
September 201765.9%
August 201765.9%
July 201766%
June 201766.1%
May 201766%
April 201765.9%
March 201766%
February 201765.9%
January 201766%
December 201665.8%
November 201665.7%
October 201665.8%
September 201665.8%

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About this data

How to read this measureThe participation rate is the number of labour force participants expressed as a percentage of the population 15 years of age and over. The participation rate for a particular group (age, gender, marital status, etc. ) is the number of labour force participants 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.