Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, August 2025
Released: 2025-10-30
$1,312.08
August 2025
3.0% 
(12-month change)
$1,296.34
August 2025
3.3%
(12-month change)
$1,150.61
August 2025
5.8%
(12-month change)
$1,177.64
August 2025
3.6%
(12-month change)
$1,197.89
August 2025
3.3%
(12-month change)
$1,276.28
August 2025
4.4%
(12-month change)
$1,350.66
August 2025
3.5%
(12-month change)
$1,184.82
August 2025
2.1%
(12-month change)
$1,275.38
August 2025
3.3%
(12-month change)
$1,363.53
August 2025
0.8%
(12-month change)
$1,304.60
August 2025
1.6%
(12-month change)
$1,493.20
August 2025
3.4%
(12-month change)
$1,765.55
August 2025
3.7%
(12-month change)
$1,815.60
August 2025
3.8%
(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—was little changed (+3,300; +0.0%) in August, following an increase of 25,600 (+0.1%) in July. On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment was up 31,500 (+0.2%) in August 2025.
Chart 1
Payroll employment little changed in August, following an increase in July
In August, payroll employment increases were recorded in public administration (+5,000; +0.4%), construction (+2,300; +0.2%), administrative and support, waste management and remediation services (+1,600; +0.2%), and management of companies and enterprises (+900; +0.7%). These gains were offset by declines in retail trade (-4,600; -0.2%), wholesale trade (-3,300; -0.4%), professional, scientific and technical services (-2,600; -0.2%), and other services (except public administration) (-1,500; -0.3%).
Meanwhile, job vacancies in Canada edged down to 457,400 (-11,300; -2.4%) in August, the lowest number of vacancies since August 2017 (435,500). On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down 82,100 (-15.2%) in August 2025.
Chart 2
Payroll employment decreases in four sectors and increases in four in August
Public administration records payroll employment increase in August
Payroll employment in public administration increased by 5,000 (+0.4%) in August, following little change in July. The monthly increase in August was driven by a gain in provincial and territorial public administration (+2,200; +0.6%).
On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in public administration was up 4,400 (+0.3%) in August. Net gains in local, municipal and regional public administration (+9,700; +1.9%) and provincial and territorial public administration (+8,100; +2.3%) were partially offset by a decline in federal government public administration (-14,300; -3.7%).
Payroll employment in construction increases in August
Payroll employment in construction increased by 2,300 (+0.2%) in August, following little change in July. The monthly increase was led by building equipment contractors (+2,600; +0.8%) and non-residential building construction (+1,200; +0.9%).
Payroll employment in construction has partially rebounded from two consecutive declines totalling 13,800 (-1.2%) in January and February 2025. Since March 2025, payroll employment in construction has increased 5,600 (+0.5%). The gain over this period was led by building equipment contractors (+5,000; +1.6%) and non-residential building construction (+2,000; +1.6%).
Year over year in August, payroll employment was up slightly in the construction sector (+1,900; +0.2%).
Payroll employment in retail and wholesale trade falls in August
Payroll employment in retail trade decreased by 4,600 (-0.2%) in August, bringing the overall decline from January to August to 24,200 (-1.2%). The decline over this period was driven by food and beverage retailers (-8,600; -1.6%) and general merchandise retailers (-7,200; -2.8%). On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in retail trade was down 33,000 (-1.6%) in August 2025.
Payroll employment also decreased in wholesale trade in August (-3,300; -0.4%), following little change in June and July. On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in wholesale trade was down by 10,200 (-1.2%) in August, driven by declines in machinery, equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers (-3,500; -1.5%) and personal and household goods merchant wholesalers (-2,700; -2.6%).
Payroll employment in professional, scientific and technical services declines in August
Payroll employment in professional, scientific and technical services decreased by 2,600 (-0.2%) in August, offsetting the increase in July (+2,100; +0.2%).
The sector has recorded little net change in payroll employment since the beginning of the year. From December 2024 to August 2025, net increases were recorded in computer systems design and related services (+3,100; +0.8%) and legal services (+2,900; +2.8%), while net declines were recorded in accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services (-2,500; -1.7%) and management, scientific and technical consulting services (-2,200; -1.8%).
Average weekly earnings continue to increase on a year-over-year basis
Year over year, average weekly earnings were up 3.0% to $1,312 in August, following an increase of 3.2% in July. 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 unchanged in August.
Average weekly hours worked (33.3 hours) were little changed in August but were down 0.6% on a year-over-year basis.
Job vacancies edge down in August
In August, job vacancies in Canada edged down to 457,400 (-11,300; -2.4%), the lowest number of vacancies since August 2017 (435,500). On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down 82,100 (-15.2%) in August 2025.
The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—was 2.6% in August, unchanged from the previous month but down 0.4 percentage points from August 2024 (3.0%).
There were 3.5 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in August 2025, up from 3.3 in July. This was the highest unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio since November 2016 (excluding April to September 2020, as data were not collected during this phase of the COVID-19 pandemic).
On a year-over-year basis, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio was up by 0.7 in August 2025. This reflects a decrease in the number of job vacancies (-82,200; -15.3%, excluding the territories), coupled with an increase in the number of unemployed persons (+116,300; +7.9%). Over the same period, the unemployment rate rose from 6.7% to 7.1% (according to the Labour Force Survey). The unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio excludes the territories for consistency with the comparable Labour Force Survey data.
Infographic 1
The unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio continues to rise
Job vacancies fall in three sectors and rise in one
In August, job vacancies were down in transportation and warehousing (-5,100 to 21,400), other services (except public administration) (-3,200 to 21,400) and information and cultural industries (-2,400 to 6,200). The only sector that recorded an increase in job vacancies was agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (+2,000 to 7,400). Job vacancies were little changed in the other sectors.
The decline in August in transportation and warehousing brought the number of vacancies in the sector to its lowest level since May 2017 (20,500).
On a year-over-year basis, the job vacancy rate was down in 13 sectors in August 2025. The largest declines were in other services (except public administration) (-0.9 percentage points to 3.6%) and transportation and warehousing (-0.9 percentage points to 2.4%). Vacancies were little changed in six sectors.
Year-over-year job vacancies down in seven provinces
On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down in seven provinces in August. The largest declines were recorded in British Columbia (-21,500; -23.0%), Ontario (-20,700; -11.4%) and Quebec (-17,300; -14.1%). At the same time, job vacancies were little changed in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Over the same period, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio increased in eight provinces. The largest increases were in Newfoundland and Labrador (+2.2 to 7.3), Alberta (+1.2 to 4.1), British Columbia (+0.8 to 2.7) and Ontario (+0.8 to 4.3). The rate was relatively stable in Nova Scotia (2.5) and Prince Edward Island (3.8).
Map 1
Unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio, by province, August 2025
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.
The base-year effect refers to the impact that trends from 12 months earlier (the 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 comparable 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 November 17, 2025.
New data table on monthly payroll employment for agriculture and support activities
A new data table (14-10-0481) presenting the number of payroll employees in the agriculture and support activities industries is now available on the Statistics Canada website. This new monthly table includes all industries primarily engaged in crop production, animal production and aquaculture, and their respective support activities since January 2025.
To classify employment data by industry, the SEPH program uses industry codes assigned to businesses based on their main revenue-generating activity, using the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The population covered in this new SEPH data table includes crop production (NAICS 111), support activities for crop production (NAICS 1151), animal production and aquaculture (NAICS 112), and support activities for animal production (NAICS 1152). It is important to note that these agriculture-related industries are excluded from the total SEPH employment counts presented in table 14-10-0201-01.
Next release
September 2025 data for SEPH and JVWS will be released on November 27.
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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