Labour Force Survey, April 2025
Released: 2025-05-09
Highlights
Employment was little changed in April (+7,400; +0.0%) and the employment rate declined 0.1 percentage points to 60.8%. The unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points to 6.9%.
In April, employment fell among core-aged (25 to 54 years old) women (-60,000; -0.9%), while it increased among people aged 55 years and older (+35,000; +0.8%) and core-aged men (+24,000; +0.3%).
In April, employment fell in manufacturing (-31,000; -1.6%) and in wholesale and retail trade (-27,000; -0.9%). Employment increased in public administration (+37,000; +3.0%), coinciding with the hiring of temporary workers for activities related to the recent federal election. Employment also increased in finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (+24,000; +1.6%).
Employment declined in Ontario (-35,000; -0.4%) and Nova Scotia (-8,500; -1.6%), while it rose in Quebec (+18,000; +0.4%), Alberta (+15,000; +0.6%), Manitoba (+5,700; +0.8%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (+3,800; +1.6%). Employment was little changed in the other provinces.
Total hours worked increased 0.4% in April and were up 0.9% compared with 12 months earlier.
Average hourly wages among employees increased 3.4% (+$1.20 to $36.13) on a year-over-year basis in April, following growth of 3.6% in March (not seasonally adjusted).
Employment holds steady in April
Overall employment was little changed in April (+7,400; +0.0%), following a decline in March (-33,000; -0.2%) and virtually no change in February.
Following a decline of 0.2 percentage points in March, the employment rate—the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who are employed—fell a further 0.1 percentage points in April. This brought the employment rate to 60.8%, matching a recent low recorded in October 2024.
The employment rate trended down for most of 2023 and 2024, as population growth outpaced employment gains. More recently, the employment rate had increased for three consecutive months from November 2024 to January 2025, driven by strong employment gains amid slower population growth.
Chart 1
Employment rate falls in April
Employment in the public sector increased by 23,000 (+0.5%) in April, following three consecutive months of little change. Public sector employment growth in April was associated with temporary hiring for the federal election.
The number of employees in the private sector was little changed in April, following a decline in March (-48,000; -0.3%). Self-employment was little changed for a third consecutive month in April.
Employment falls among core-aged women
Employment among core-aged (25 to 54 years old) women fell by 60,000 (-0.9%) in April, offsetting a similar-sized net increase recorded from December 2024 to February 2025 (+62,000; +1.0%). The employment decline in April was concentrated in part-time work (-41,000; -3.9%). As a result, the employment rate of core-aged women fell 0.9 percentage points to 79.6% in April 2025.
Infographic 1
Employment rate by age group, April 2025
Among core-aged men, employment increased by 24,000 (+0.3%) in April, following two months of little change. The employment rate of core-aged men rose 0.2 percentage points in April to 86.5%, partly offsetting the 0.4 percentage point decline recorded in the previous month.
Employment rose for people aged 55 and older (+35,000; +0.8%) in April, with increases for both women (+19,000; +1.0%) and men (+16,000; +0.7%). The employment rate also rose both for women (+0.2 percentage points to 29.7%) and men (+0.2 percentage points to 39.0%) in this age group in April.
Unemployment rate rises to 6.9%
The unemployment rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 6.9% in April, following an increase of 0.1 percentage points in March. With these increases, the unemployment rate has returned to its level of November 2024, which was the highest since January 2017 (excluding the years 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic).
The number of unemployed people—those looking for work or on temporary layoff—increased by 39,000 (+2.6%) in April and was up by 189,000 (+13.9%) on a year-over-year basis.
People who were unemployed continued to face more difficulties finding work in April than a year earlier. Among those who were unemployed in March, 61.0% remained unemployed in April, higher than the corresponding proportion for the same months in 2024 (57.3%) (not seasonally adjusted).
Chart 2
Unemployment rate rises in April
The share of workers being laid off may increase during periods of economic downturn or disruption. Among those who were employed in March 2025, 0.7% had become unemployed in April due to a layoff. This proportion was little changed from the same period in 2024 (0.6%) (not seasonally adjusted).
There were more people in the labour force in April, and the participation rate—the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who were employed or looking for work—increased by 0.1 percentage points to 65.3%. Despite the increase in the month, the participation rate was down 0.4 percentage points on a year-over-year basis.
Unemployment rate up among young men and core-aged women
The unemployment rate increased among young men aged 15 to 24 (+1.1 percentage points to 15.4%) in April. Although employment held steady, more young men searched for work in the month, which drove the unemployment rate up for this group.
Infographic 2
Unemployment rate by age group, April 2025
The unemployment rate of core-aged women (25 to 54 years old) increased 0.4 percentage points to 5.8% in April, as employment fell among women in this age group. For core-aged men, the unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 5.8% in April.
On a year-over-year basis, the unemployment rate was up for both core-aged women (+0.8 percentage points) and core-aged men (+0.4 percentage points) in April.
Employment in manufacturing declines
Employment fell in manufacturing (-31,000; -1.6%) in April, as the industry continues to face uncertainty related to tariffs on exports to the United States. Ontario posted the largest decline (-33,000; -3.9%) in this industry among the provinces. This was the first significant decline for manufacturing employment at the national level since November 2024. Despite the decline in the month, employment in manufacturing was little changed on a year-over-year basis in April.
Employment in wholesale and retail trade declined by 27,000 (-0.9%) in April, following a similar sized decline in March (-29,000; -1.0%). The decline over the two months offset the strong gain recorded in February. On a year-over-year basis, employment in wholesale and retail trade was little changed in April.
Chart 3
Employment down in manufacturing in April
Employment rose in public administration (+37,000; +3.0%) in April, the first significant increase for the sector since July 2024. The increase was mostly in temporary work and coincided with activities associated with the federal election. Advanced polling took place from April 18 to April 21 and the election was held on April 28. The Labour Force Survey (LFS) reference week was April 13 to April 19.
In finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing, employment increased by 24,000 (+1.6%) in April, continuing an upward trend from October 2024, with cumulative gains during this period totalling 67,000 (+4.7%).
Map 1
Unemployment rate by province and territory, April 2025
Chart 4
Unemployment rate for United States and Canada adjusted to US concepts
Employment falls in Ontario while it increases in Quebec and Alberta
Employment in Ontario fell by 35,000 (-0.4%) in April, following a decline of 28,000 in March. Manufacturing (-33,000; -3.9%) and wholesale and retail trade (-16,000; -1.4%) recorded the largest declines in the province in April. The unemployment rate in Ontario rose by 0.3 percentage points in April to 7.8%.
In the Windsor census metropolitan area (CMA), where automotive industries account for 43.1% of manufacturing employment and 9.2% of total employment, the unemployment rate increased by 1.4 percentage points in April to reach 10.7% (three-month moving averages). In the Toronto CMA, the unemployment rate was little changed at 8.6% in April.
In Quebec, employment increased by 18,000 (+0.4%) in April, the first significant increase since November 2024. Despite more people employed in the month, there were also more people looking for work (+17,000), pushing the unemployment rate up by 0.3 percentage points to 6.0%. This was the highest unemployment rate for the province since October 2017 (6.1%), excluding the years 2020 and 2021, during the pandemic.
Employment in Alberta increased by 15,000 (+0.6%) in April, offsetting a decline in March. Despite the employment gain, the unemployment rate in Alberta remained at 7.1% in April.
Focus on Canada and the United States: Unemployment rate in Canada remains higher than in the United States, as gap widens
Because of the highly integrated nature of the Canadian and US economies, trade uncertainty and disruptions can have significant impacts on the labour markets of both countries.
By adjusting Canadian data to US concepts, direct comparisons can be made between the labour market situations in Canada and the United States. For more information, see "Measuring Employment and Unemployment in Canada and the United States – A comparison."
The unemployment rate in Canada, adjusted to US concepts, has historically been higher than in the United States. In recent years, the gap between the rates in the two countries has widened, as the unemployment rate trended up at a faster pace in Canada than in the United States over 2023 and most of 2024.
In April 2025, the unemployment rate in Canada (adjusted to US concepts) was 5.8%, 1.6 percentage points higher than the rate in the United States (4.2%). In comparison, the unemployment rate in Canada was 0.9 percentage points higher on average than in the United States over the 2017-to-2019 period. The gap had narrowed to just 0.2 percentage points in June 2022, amid tight labour market conditions and record-high job vacancies in Canada in the spring and summer of 2022.
At the same time, employment rates have historically been higher in Canada than in the United States, reflecting in part the higher labour force participation rates of women. In April 2025, the employment rate was 61.5% in Canada (adjusted to US concepts) compared with 60.0% in the United States. The gap was most notable among core-aged women; the employment rate for women aged 25 to 54 was 79.6% in Canada in April, compared with 75.0% in the United States.
The gap between Canadian and US employment rates has narrowed in recent years, however. Canada's employment rate declined through most of 2023 and 2024, as strong population growth in Canada outpaced employment gains. In comparison, the employment rate in the United States over this period has held relatively steady.
For more data and insights on areas touched by the socio-economic relationship between Canada and the United States, see the Focus on Canada and the United States webpage.
In the spotlight: Employees in industries dependent on US demand for Canadian exports more likely to anticipate decreases in the number of employees at their workplace
In an uncertain economic context, workers' perceptions of job security can provide insights into possible changes in business conditions across industries. Additionally, perceptions of job insecurity—the feeling of potentially losing one's job and income in the near future—can negatively impact the mental health and well-being of workers.
In April 2025, the LFS asked employees if they anticipated that the number of workers at their workplace would increase, stay the same or decrease over the next six months. The LFS also asked the same employees about the likelihood that they might personally lose their job over the same period.
Among employees aged 15 to 69, 13.2% anticipated that the number of employees at their workplace would decrease over the next six months (not seasonally adjusted). The proportion was higher (18.6%) among employees in industries dependent on US demand for Canadian exports (defined as those where 35% or more jobs depend on US demand for exports from Canada).
Chart 5
Proportion of employees anticipating the number of employees at their workplace to decrease a little or a lot over the next six months, by industry
Across industries, the share of employees who anticipated that the number of employees in their workplace would decrease over the next six months was highest in public administration (25.4%) and in educational services (19.5%).
On the other hand, over 1 in 5 (21.0%) employees aged 15 to 69 anticipated that the number of employees at their workplace would increase a little or a lot over the next six months. The share among employees in industries dependent on US demand for Canadian exports was slightly lower (18.1%).
Despite economic uncertainty and expectations of workforce reductions among some workers, most employees felt relatively secure in their jobs. In April 2025, just under three in four (73.9%) employees aged 15 to 69 disagreed or strongly disagreed that they might lose their main job in the next six months.
In contrast, 7.7% of employees agreed or strongly agreed they might lose their main job in the next six months. Among workers in industries that were dependent on US demand for Canadian exports, the proportion was slightly higher (8.9%).
Youth aged 15 to 24 were more likely to agree or strongly agree (9.6%) that they might lose their job in the next six months, compared with workers aged 25 to 54 (7.3%) and those aged 55 and older (7.7%).
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Sustainable Development Goals
On January 1, 2016, the world officially began implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—the United Nations' transformative plan of action that addresses urgent global challenges over the next 15 years. The plan is based on 17 specific sustainable development goals.
The Labour Force Survey is an example of how Statistics Canada supports the reporting on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. This release will be used in helping to measure the following goals:
Note to readers
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates for April are for the week of April 13 to 19, 2025.
The LFS estimates are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling variability. As a result, monthly estimates will show more variability than trends observed over longer time periods. For more information, see "Interpreting Monthly Changes in Employment from the Labour Force Survey."
This analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 68% confidence level.
LFS estimates at the Canada level do not include the territories.
The LFS estimates are the first in a series of labour market indicators released by Statistics Canada, which includes indicators from programs such as the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH); Employment Insurance Statistics; and the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey. For more information on the conceptual differences between employment measures from the LFS and those from the SEPH, refer to section 8 of the Guide to the Labour Force Survey (71-543-G).
Face-to-face personal interviewing resumed in November 2022. Telephone interviews continued to be conducted by interviewers working mainly from their homes rather than Statistics Canada's call centres, as they have since March 2020. About 50,000 interviews were completed in April 2025 and in-depth data quality evaluations conducted each month confirm that the LFS continues to produce an accurate portrait of Canada's labour market.
The employment rate is the number of employed people as a percentage of the population aged 15 and older. The rate for a particular group (for example, youths aged 15 to 24) is the number employed in that group as a percentage of the population for that group.
The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the labour force (employed and unemployed).
The participation rate is the number of employed and unemployed people as a percentage of the population aged 15 and older.
Full-time employment consists of persons who usually work 30 hours or more per week at their main or only job.
Part-time employment consists of persons who usually work less than 30 hours per week at their main or only job.
Total hours worked refers to the number of hours actually worked at the main job by the respondent during the reference week, including paid and unpaid hours. These hours reflect temporary decreases or increases in work hours (for example, hours lost due to illness, vacation, holidays or weather; or more hours worked due to overtime).
In general, month-to-month or year-to-year changes in the number of people employed in an age group reflect the net effect of two factors: (1) the number of people who changed employment status between reference periods, and (2) the number of employed people who entered or left the age group (including through aging, death or migration) between reference periods.
Seasonal adjustment
Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted estimates, which facilitate comparisons by removing the effects of seasonal variations. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
Population growth in the Labour Force Survey
The LFS target population includes all persons aged 15 years and older whose usual place of residence is in Canada, with the exception of those living on reserves, full-time members of the regular Armed Forces and persons living in institutions (including inmates of penal institutions and patients in hospitals and nursing homes).
The LFS target population includes temporary residents—that is, those with a valid work or study permit, their families, and refugee claimants—as well as permanent residents (landed immigrants) and the Canadian-born.
Information gathered from LFS respondents is weighted to represent the survey target population using population calibration totals. These totals are updated each month, using the most recently available information on population changes, including changes in the number of non-permanent residents. LFS population calibration totals are derived from Canada's official population estimates using similar sources and methods, with minor adjustments being made to reflect exclusions from the LFS target population.
While the LFS population totals are generally aligned with official demographic estimates, numbers from the two sources should be compared with caution, given the different goals of the programs and because of a number of methodological differences reflecting the objectives of the LFS. Official demographic estimates should be considered the official measure of population change in Canada. More information on how population totals in the LFS are calculated can be found in the article "Interpreting population totals from the Labour Force Survey."
Regional unemployment rates used by the Employment Insurance program
As a result of a temporary measure in effect from April 6, 2025, to July 12, 2025, the unemployment rates are adjusted by one percentage point (to a maximum of 13.1%) in all Employment Insurance economic regions, ensuring that no region has an unemployment rate less than 7.1%. Regions with an unemployment rate of 13.1% or higher keep their actual rate. For more information, see Temporary Employment Insurance measures to respond to major changes in economic conditions.
Changes to the Labour Force Survey beginning in April 2025
Every 10 years, the LFS sample is redesigned to reflect changes in population characteristics and updated geographical boundaries. The updated sample design—based on the 2021 Census population characteristics and the 2021 Standard Geographical Classification—is being phased in from April to September 2025. For more information, see Section 4 of the Guide to the Labour Force Survey (71-543-G).
Next release
The next release of the LFS will be on June 6. May data will reflect labour market conditions during the week of May 11 to 17.
Products
More information about the concepts and use of the Labour Force Survey is available online in the Guide to the Labour Force Survey (71-543-G).
The product "Labour Force Survey in brief: Interactive app" (14200001) is also available. This interactive visualization application provides seasonally adjusted estimates by province, gender, age group and industry.
The product "Labour Market Indicators, by province and census metropolitan area, seasonally adjusted" (71-607-X) is also available. This interactive dashboard provides customizable access to key labour market indicators.
The product "Labour Market Indicators, by province, territory and economic region, unadjusted for seasonality" (71-607-X) is also available. This dynamic web application provides access to labour market indicators for Canada, provinces, territories and economic regions.
The product "Labour market indicators, census metropolitan areas, census agglomerations and self-contained labour areas: Interactive dashboard" (71-607-X) is also available. This dashboard allows users to visually explore the estimates using an interactive map as well as time series charts and tables.
The product Labour Force Survey: Public Use Microdata File (71M0001X) is also available. This public use microdata file contains non-aggregated data for a wide variety of variables collected from the Labour Force Survey. The data have been modified to ensure that no individual or business is directly or indirectly identified. This product is for users who prefer to do their own analysis by focusing on specific subgroups in the population or by cross-classifying variables that are not in our catalogued products.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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