Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, March 2025
Released: 2025-05-29
$1,290.80
March 2025
4.3% 
(12-month change)
$1,274.94
March 2025
4.2%
(12-month change)
$1,088.96
March 2025
3.2%
(12-month change)
$1,134.34
March 2025
2.8%
(12-month change)
$1,156.30
March 2025
2.2%
(12-month change)
$1,244.05
March 2025
5.0%
(12-month change)
$1,327.20
March 2025
4.5%
(12-month change)
$1,154.95
March 2025
2.3%
(12-month change)
$1,253.20
March 2025
4.7%
(12-month change)
$1,348.13
March 2025
3.7%
(12-month change)
$1,306.10
March 2025
3.9%
(12-month change)
$1,487.23
March 2025
4.8%
(12-month change)
$1,686.89
March 2025
1.4%
(12-month change)
$1,743.94
March 2025
4.6%
(12-month change)
The number of employees receiving pay and benefits from their employer—measured as "payroll employment" in the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours—decreased by 54,100 (-0.3%) in March, following a decline of 40,200 (-0.2%) in February. On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment was up 32,800 (+0.2%) in March.
Chart 1
Payroll employment decreases for the second consecutive month in March
In March, monthly payroll employment declines were recorded in 10 of the 20 sectors, including educational services (-10,400; -0.7%), health care and social assistance (-9,500; -0.4%), accommodation and food services (-8,400; -0.7%), retail trade (-8,400; -0.4%), wholesale trade (-4,200; -0.5%), and construction (-4,000; -0.3%). These declines were partially offset by gains in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas (+2,500; +1.1%), arts, entertainment and recreation (+1,800; +0.5%), and management of companies and enterprises (+900; +0.7%). The remaining seven sectors were little changed.
Meanwhile, there were 529,700 job vacancies in Canada in March, the seventh consecutive month of little change. On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down by 72,800 (-12.1%).
Chart 2
Payroll employment in March decreases in 10 sectors and increases in 3
Payroll employment in educational services decreases in March
Payroll employment in the educational services sector fell by 10,400 (-0.7%) in March. Leading up to this monthly decline, payroll employment in the sector had remained relatively steady since July 2024, following a cumulative gain of 42,200 (+2.9%) from January to July 2024.
On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in educational services was up by 7,200 (+0.5%) in March 2025. This increase was concentrated in elementary and secondary schools (+19,000; +2.2%) but was partially offset by declines in universities (-8,100; -2.4%) and community colleges and CEGEPs (-3,100; -2.2%).
Health care and social assistance records payroll employment decline
Payroll employment in health care and social assistance decreased by 9,500 (-0.4%) in March, following growth in February (+7,900; +0.3%). This was the first month-over-month decline in the sector since June 2024 (-4,200; -0.2%).
Prior to the monthly decline in March 2025, payroll employment in the sector had generally trended up, with a net gain of 224,400 (+10.1%) from August 2022 to February 2025.
The monthly payroll employment decline in March 2025 was largely concentrated in Quebec (-9,000; -1.6%). Before this monthly decline, payroll employment in health care and social assistance in Quebec had followed a general upward trend, with a net gain of 33,000 (+6.2%) from September 2023 to February 2025.
Payroll employment in accommodation and food services decreases for the third consecutive month
Payroll employment in accommodation and food services (-8,400; -0.7%) decreased for the third consecutive month in March, bringing the cumulative decline to 22,100 (-1.7%) since January 2025. This decline was driven by full-service restaurants and limited service eating places (-18,300; -1.8%).
On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in accommodation and food services was down by 20,800 (-1.6%) in March 2025.
Retail trade records a decline in payroll employment in March
Payroll employment in retail trade decreased by 8,400 (-0.4%) in March, continuing an overall downward trend that began in February 2023. From February 2023 to March 2025, payroll employment in retail trade has fallen by 53,400 (-2.6%).
The largest contributors to the net decline since February 2023 were sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, book, and miscellaneous retailers (-14,600; -6.7%), furniture, home furnishings, electronics and appliances retailers (-13,800; -12.0%), clothing, clothing accessories, shoes, jewelry, luggage and leather goods retailers (-8,700; -4.1%), general merchandise retailers (-8,500; -3.2%) and building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers (-7,100; -4.7%).
Payroll employment in wholesale trade falls in March
Payroll employment in wholesale trade (-4,200; -0.5%) fell for the fourth consecutive month in March 2025, bringing the cumulative loss to 7,300 (-0.9%) since December 2024. Machinery, equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers (-4,200; -1.7%) recorded the largest decline over this period.
On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in wholesale trade was down by 6,000 (-0.7%) in March 2025.
Third consecutive monthly decline in construction payroll employment
Payroll employment in construction decreased by 4,000 (-0.3%) in March, bringing the cumulative decline since January to 17,800 (-1.5%). Specialty trade contractors (-10,200; -1.4%) recorded the largest cumulative decline among subsectors. Since January, payroll employment in residential building construction decreased by 4,600 (-2.7%), while non-residential building construction (+700; +0.5%) was the only industry within the construction sector to record an increase.
On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in construction was down 5,800 (-0.5%) in March 2025. This decline was led by heavy and civil engineering construction (-8,100; -4.6%) but was partially offset by an increase in specialty trade contractors (+1,400; +0.2%). Over the same period, payroll employment in non-residential building construction rose by 2,500 (+2.1%), while it fell by 1,600 (-1.0%) in residential building construction.
Average weekly earnings continue to increase on a year-over-year basis
Year over year, average weekly earnings were up 4.3% to $1,291 in March, following an increase of 5.1% in February. In general, growth in average weekly earnings can reflect a range of factors, including changes in wages, composition of employment, hours worked and base-year effects.
Month over month, average weekly earnings were little changed in March.
Average weekly hours (33.5 hours) were little changed on a month-over-month and year-over-year basis in March.
Job vacancies continue to hold steady in March
In March, there were 529,700 job vacancies in Canada, the seventh consecutive month of little change. On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down by 72,800 (-12.1%).
The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—was 3.0% in March, up 0.1 percentage points from February (2.9%), but down 0.4 percentage points from March 2024.
There were 2.9 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in March, up by 0.1 since February. On a year-over-year basis, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio was up by 0.7. This increase was the result of a decrease in job vacancies (-72,100; -12.0%, excluding territories), coupled with an increase in the number of unemployed persons (+166,500; +12.4%). Over the same year-over-year period, the unemployment rate rose from 6.1% to 6.7% (according to the Labour Force Survey).
Total labour demand—which corresponds to the sum of filled and unfilled positions—fell by 64,400 (-0.4%) in March. On a year-over-year basis, it was up by 48,500 (+0.3%).
Infographic 1
The unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio increases in March as job vacancies hold steady
Job vacancies increase in three sectors and fall in one
In March, job vacancies were up in three sectors: transportation and warehousing (+3,300; +13.8%), utilities (+800; +51.8%), and management of companies and enterprises (+300; +19.6%). The increase in transportation and warehousing partially offset the decrease that took place in January ( -5,600; -18.4%). Retail trade was the only sector that recorded a decrease in job vacancies (-4,400; -8.4% to 48,200) in March. The number of job vacancies in retail trade was at its lowest since November 2024 (45,700).
Year over year, vacancies were down in 11 of the 20 sectors in March 2025. The largest declines were recorded in health care and social assistance (-17,600; -14.4%), retail trade (-11,500; -19.3%), and transportation and warehousing (-8,200; -23.0%). Despite the year-over-year decline, job vacancies in health care and social assistance remained elevated in March (105,000) compared with pre-pandemic levels (73,200 in March 2020).
Finance and insurance (+2,700; +13.7%) and public administration (+1,500; +11.9%) were the only sectors to record year-over-year increases in March.
Chart 3
Year over year, job vacancies down in 11 sectors in March and up in 2
Job vacancies up in Alberta and down in Manitoba
The number of job vacancies in March 2025 increased in Alberta (+7,500 to 69,800) and decreased in Manitoba (-3,700 to 18,400). Job vacancies were little changed in the remaining provinces.
In March, the job vacancy rate was highest in British Columbia (3.5%) and Alberta (3.2%), while it was lowest in Ontario (2.7%).
Year over year, the job vacancy rate was down in seven provinces in March, with the largest decreases being in Saskatchewan (-0.8 percentage points to 2.9%) and Manitoba (-0.6 percentage points to 2.9%). Newfoundland and Labrador was the only province to record an increase in its job vacancy rate over the period (+0.7 percentage points to 3.1%).
Chart 4
Year over year, job vacancy rate down in seven provinces in March
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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 Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours 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
Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours
The key objective of the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH) is to provide a monthly portrait of the level of earnings, employment and hours worked, by detailed industry, at the national, provincial and territorial levels.
Payroll employment, as measured by the SEPH, refers to the number of employees receiving pay and benefits (employment income) during a given month. The survey excludes the self-employed, owners and partners of unincorporated businesses and professional practices, and employees in the agricultural sector.
SEPH estimates are produced by integrating information from three sources: a census of approximately 1 million payroll deduction records provided by the Canada Revenue Agency; the Business Payrolls Survey, which collects data from a sample of 15,000 establishments; and administrative records of federal, provincial and territorial public administration employment, provided by these levels of government.
Estimates of average weekly earnings and hours worked are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling variability. This analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 68% confidence level. Payroll employment estimates are based on a census of administrative data and are not subject to sampling variability.
With each release of SEPH data, data for the preceding month are revised. Users are encouraged to use the most up-to-date data available for each month.
Statistics Canada also produces employment estimates from its Labour Force Survey (LFS). The LFS is a monthly household survey, the main objective of which is to divide the working-age population into three mutually exclusive groups: the employed (including the self-employed), the unemployed and those not in the labour force. This survey is the official source for the unemployment rate, and it collects data on the sociodemographic characteristics of all people in the labour market.
Employment trends from the SEPH and from the LFS generally track each other closely, especially over longer periods of time. That said, because of differences in concepts, definitions and methodologies, variations in employment levels in SEPH and in the LFS may differ, especially over shorter periods. For a more in-depth discussion of the conceptual differences between employment measures from the LFS and the SEPH, refer to Section 8 of the Guide to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (72-203-G).
The SEPH and LFS both also provide monthly indicators of pay received by employees. Used together, average weekly earnings (from SEPH) and average hourly wages (from the LFS) can provide a comprehensive portrait of pay dynamics in Canada. For information on definitions for each indicator, key conceptual and measurement differences, and guidance to data users on when to use each indicator, refer to the report "Earnings and Wages – A guide to using indicators from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours and the Labour Force Survey"
Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted data, which facilitate comparisons because the effects of seasonal variations are removed. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
Non-farm payroll employment data are for all hourly and salaried employees and for the "other employees" category, which includes piece-rate and commission-only employees.
Unless otherwise specified, average weekly hours data are for hourly and salaried employees only and exclude businesses that could not be classified to a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2022 version 1.0 code.
All earnings data include overtime and exclude businesses that could not be classified to a NAICS code. Earnings data are based on gross taxable payroll before source deductions. Average weekly earnings are derived by dividing total weekly earnings by the number of employees. Changes in average weekly earnings can reflect a range of factors, including changes in wages, composition of employment, hours worked and base-year effects.
Base-year effect refers to the impact that trends from 12 months earlier (base month) have on the current month's estimate of year-over-year change. In the case of SEPH, when the average weekly earnings in the base month is at the peak of a short-term trend, this tends to have a downward effect on year-over-year average weekly earnings growth in the current month. In contrast, if the value of the base month is at a low point of a trend, this tends to have an upward effect on the current month's year-over-year growth in average weekly earnings.
Job Vacancy and Wage Survey
The Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (JVWS) collection is done on a quarterly basis. The quarterly sample of business locations is allocated to the three collection months of the quarter, approximately balanced by province and by industrial sector across each of the three months. This allows both quarterly and monthly estimates to be produced.
Preliminary monthly estimates are produced for job vacancies, job vacancy rates and payroll employment using available responses from business locations sampled in the corresponding reference month. The reference period for the JVWS is the first day of the respective month. This analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 68% confidence level.
These preliminary monthly estimates are revised and finalized when the corresponding quarterly estimates are released or shortly thereafter. Users are encouraged to use the most up-to-date data available for each month.
Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted data, which facilitate comparisons because the effects of seasonal variations are removed. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data – Frequently asked questions.
While JVWS employment is calibrated to the SEPH, SEPH payroll employment and JVWS preliminary monthly employment figures may differ because of calibration grouping and differences in scope and reference period.
The unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio excludes the territories for consistency with the geographic coverage of the available LFS data (table 14-10-0287-01).
The JVWS also provides comprehensive quarterly data on job vacancies by industrial sector and detailed occupation for Canada and the provinces, territories and economic regions; offered hourly wages; and job vacancy characteristics. More information about the concepts and use of data from the JVWS is available in the Guide to the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (75-514-G).
Real-time data tables
Tables 14-10-0357-01 and 14-10-0358-01 have now been archived.
Real-time data tables 14-10-0331-01 and 14-10-0332-01 will be updated on June 16, 2025.
Next release
Data on job vacancies from the JVWS for the first quarter of 2025 will be released on June 17. At that time, the quarterly seasonally adjusted data will be revised resulting in minor changes to the estimates. Estimates from the first quarter of 2015 to the fourth quarter of 2024 will be republished incorporating a fine-tuning of the parameters used in the seasonal adjustment process.
April 2025 data for SEPH and JVWS will be released on June 26. At that time, all JVWS monthly seasonally adjusted data will also be replaced with revised estimates.
Products
More information about the concepts and use of the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours is available in the Guide to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (72-203-G).
The product "Earnings and payroll employment in brief: Interactive app" (14200001) is now available. This interactive data visualization application provides a comprehensive picture of the Canadian labour market using the most recent data from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours. The estimates are seasonally adjusted and available by province and largest industrial sector. Historical estimates that go back 10 years are also included. The interactive application allows users to explore and personalize the information presented quickly and easily. Combine multiple provinces and industrial sectors to create your own labour market domains of interest.
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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