CanadaLabourSeptember 2016–August 2026 · Monthly

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

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The answer

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

Overall change
-0.6 percentage points
Decrease
Start · September 2016
7%
Latest · August 2026
6.4%

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

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What this answer shows

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

Selected details

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

Labour force characteristics for unemployment rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted fell from 7% to 6.4% between September 2016 and August 2026—a decrease of 0.6 percentage points. It reached an observed low of 4.8% in July 2022 before ending at 6.4% in August 2026.

Evidence prepared Revision c9882d908d7bView data updates

Citation-ready data

Labour force characteristics for unemployment 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 unemployment rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted6.4%
Labour force characteristics for unemployment rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted fell from 7% to 6.4% between September 2016 and August 2026—a decrease of 0.6 percentage points. It reached an observed low of 4.8% in July 2022 before ending at 6.4% in August 2026. The chart covers September 2016 to August 2026. Values are shown in Percent.Percent0%5%10%15%September 2016May 2018January 2020September 2021April 2023December 2024August 20267%6.4%

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Observed high
14.2%May 2020
Observed low
4.8%July 2022
Exact values120 observations · September 2016–August 2026

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Labour force characteristics for unemployment rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted in Canada
PeriodLabour force characteristics for unemployment rate, people aged 15 and over, and seasonally adjusted
August 2026Latest6.4%
July 20266.4%
June 20266.5%
May 20266.6%
April 20266.9%
March 20266.7%
February 20266.7%
January 20266.5%
December 20256.8%
November 20256.6%
October 20256.9%
September 20257.1%
August 20257.1%
July 20256.9%
June 20256.9%
May 20257%
April 20256.9%
March 20256.8%
February 20256.6%
January 20256.7%
December 20246.7%
November 20247%
October 20246.6%
September 20246.5%
August 20246.6%
July 20246.4%
June 20246.4%
May 20246.3%
April 20246.2%
March 20246.1%
February 20245.9%
January 20245.7%
December 20235.8%
November 20235.8%
October 20235.7%
September 20235.5%
August 20235.4%
July 20235.4%
June 20235.4%
May 20235.2%
April 20235.1%
March 20235.1%
February 20235.2%
January 20235.1%
December 20225%
November 20225%
October 20225.1%
September 20225.1%
August 20225.2%
July 20224.8%
June 20224.9%
May 20225.2%
April 20225.4%
March 20225.4%
February 20225.5%
January 20226.4%
December 20215.9%
November 20216.1%
October 20216.5%
September 20217%
August 20217.1%
July 20217.4%
June 20217.9%
May 20218.3%
April 20218.2%
March 20217.7%
February 20218.5%
January 20219.2%
December 20208.9%
November 20208.6%
October 20209%
September 20209.1%
August 202010.1%
July 202010.9%
June 202012.6%
May 202014.2%
April 202013.7%
March 20208.5%
February 20205.8%
January 20205.5%
December 20195.6%
November 20195.9%
October 20195.6%
September 20195.6%
August 20195.7%
July 20195.7%
June 20195.6%
May 20195.5%
April 20195.7%
March 20195.8%
February 20195.8%
January 20195.7%
December 20185.6%
November 20185.7%
October 20185.6%
September 20185.8%
August 20186%
July 20185.9%
June 20186%
May 20185.9%
April 20185.8%
March 20185.8%
February 20186%
January 20185.9%
December 20176%
November 20176.2%
October 20176.3%
September 20176.2%
August 20176.2%
July 20176.3%
June 20176.5%
May 20176.6%
April 20176.5%
March 20176.7%
February 20176.6%
January 20176.9%
December 20166.9%
November 20166.8%
October 20166.9%
September 20167%

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About this data

How to read this measureThe unemployment rate is the number of unemployed persons expressed as a percentage of the labour force. The unemployment rate for a particular group (age, gender, marital status, etc. ) is the number unemployed in that group expressed as a percentage of the labour force 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.