Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, September 2025
Released: 2025-11-27
$1,317.09
September 2025
3.1% 
(12-month change)
$1,288.42
September 2025
2.9%
(12-month change)
$1,146.03
September 2025
4.8%
(12-month change)
$1,185.76
September 2025
5.5%
(12-month change)
$1,205.60
September 2025
4.6%
(12-month change)
$1,274.29
September 2025
3.7%
(12-month change)
$1,354.05
September 2025
3.2%
(12-month change)
$1,187.95
September 2025
3.2%
(12-month change)
$1,274.36
September 2025
3.8%
(12-month change)
$1,369.63
September 2025
1.6%
(12-month change)
$1,309.99
September 2025
1.8%
(12-month change)
$1,510.97
September 2025
3.9%
(12-month change)
$1,743.46
September 2025
2.6%
(12-month change)
$1,759.48
September 2025
0.5%
(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 58,000 (-0.3%) in September, offsetting a cumulative increase of 43,200 (+0.2%) in July and August. On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment was little changed in September.
Chart 1
Payroll employment decreases in September, following two consecutive increases
In September, monthly payroll employment declines were recorded in 11 of the 20 sectors, including educational services (-19,100; -1.3%), manufacturing (-9,600; -0.6%), professional, scientific and technical services (-6,400; -0.5%), real estate and rental and leasing (-5,400; -1.8%) and administrative and support, waste management and remediation services (-3,400; -0.4%). Health care and social assistance (+6,500; +0.3%) as well as arts, entertainment and recreation (+1,900; +0.6%) were the only sectors to record increases in September.
Meanwhile, job vacancies in Canada increased to 486,000 (+25,500; +5.5%) in September, marking the first month-to-month increase in job vacancies since January 2024. On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down 49,700 (-9.3%) in September 2025.
Chart 2
Payroll employment decreases in 11 sectors and increases in 2 in September
Payroll employment in educational services decreases in September
Payroll employment in the educational services sector fell by 19,100 (-1.3%) in September, offsetting a cumulative increase of 18,100 (+1.2%) in July and August.
On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in educational services was down by 17,500 (-1.2%) in September. The year-over-year decline in the sector was concentrated in community colleges and CEGEPs (-13,000; -9.1%).
Payroll employment in manufacturing continues a downward trend
In September, payroll employment in manufacturing decreased by 9,600 (-0.6%). The monthly decline was broad-based, with 16 of 21 subsectors recording decreases, including food manufacturing (-2,100; -0.8%), non-metallic mineral product manufacturing (-900; -1.8%) and paper manufacturing (-900; -1.9%).
The September decline recorded in the sector contributed to a cumulative decline of 36,500 (-2.3%) since January 2025. Over this period, 19 out of 21 subsectors recorded payroll employment decreases, led by transportation equipment manufacturing (-7,500; -3.7%), food manufacturing (-4,600; -1.7%) and chemical manufacturing (-3,800; -3.9%).
Payroll employment in professional, scientific and technical services decreases for a second consecutive month
Payroll employment in professional, scientific and technical services fell in September (-6,400; -0.5%) for a second consecutive month, bringing the cumulative drop in August and September to 12,000 (-1.0%). These two monthly declines followed an increase in July (+2,100; +0.2%) and a period of little net variation in the first half of 2025.
The cumulative decline in August and September 2025 was spread across eight of the nine industries in the sector, led by management, scientific and technical consulting services (-6,800; -5.5%) and computer systems design and related services (-2,800; -0.7%).
Real estate and rental and leasing records a decline in payroll employment in September
In September, payroll employment in real estate and rental and leasing declined by 5,400 (-1.8%), marking the largest monthly decline in the sector since May 2021 (-3,600; -1.4%). Lessors of real estate (-2,200; -1.9%) and activities related to real estate (-1,200; -1.6%) were the largest contributors to the September 2025 decline.
On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in real estate and rental and leasing was down 3,400 (-1.2%) in September. Offices of real estate agents and brokers (-1,600; -4.7%) and lessors of real estate (-1,200; -1.0%) recorded the largest year-over-year declines.
Average weekly earnings increase on both a month-over-month and year-over-year basis
Year over year, average weekly earnings were up 3.1% to $1,317 in September, following a 2.7% increase in August. 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 increased 0.7% in September.
In September, average weekly hours worked (33.4 hours) rose 0.3% month over month but were down 0.3% on a year-over-year basis.
Job vacancies up for the first time since January 2024
In September, job vacancies in Canada increased to 486,000 (+25,500; +5.5%), marking the first monthly increase since January 2024. On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down 49,700 (-9.3%) in September 2025.
The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—was 2.7% in September 2025, up by 0.1 percentage points from August (2.6%) but down 0.3 percentage points from September 2024 (3.0%).
There were 3.3 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in September 2025, down from 3.5 in August. From August to September, the number of unemployed persons was little changed, while the number of job vacancies increased (+26,000; +5.7%, excluding the territories). This was the first monthly decrease in the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio since December 2024. Despite the decrease in September 2025, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio was up by 0.6 on a year-over-year basis. The unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio excludes the territories for consistency with the comparable Labour Force Survey data.
Infographic 1
Job vacancy rate increases in September
Job vacancies increase in four sectors
In September, job vacancies were up in construction (+5,100; +14.9%), manufacturing (+3,400; +10.8%), information and cultural industries (+1,500; +24.8%), and management of companies and enterprises (+600; +42.1%).
In construction, the increase in job vacancies in September offset declines in the previous two months (-5,500; -13.8%). Despite the monthly increase, the number of vacancies in the sector was little changed compared with September 2024 (39,300). The job vacancy rate in construction was 3.2% in September 2025, up from 2.8% in August but unchanged from September 2024 (3.2%).
In manufacturing, the increase in job vacancies was the first since November 2024. It partly offsets a net decline of 6,400 (-16.9%) recorded from December 2024 to August 2025. The job vacancy rate in manufacturing was 2.2% in September 2025, up from 2.0% in August but little changed from September 2024 (2.3%).
Year over year, job vacancies were down in 9 out of 20 sectors in September, led by health care and social assistance (-16,200; -14.1%), followed by transportation and warehousing (-5,700; -19.7%) and other services (except public administration) (-5,300; -19.5%). The decrease in job vacancies in health care and social assistance was the largest decrease across all sectors, accounting for 32.5% of the overall decrease across Canada (-49,700; -9.3%). Job vacancies in the remaining 11 sectors were little changed.
Chart 3
The six sectors with the most vacancies
Job vacancies increase in two provinces
In September, monthly increases in job vacancies were recorded in Ontario (+11,200 to 173,400) and Newfoundland and Labrador (+900 to 5,100).
Year over year, the job vacancy rate was down in September in Alberta (-0.7 percentage points to 2.7%), British Columbia (-0.6 percentage points to 3.1%), Saskatchewan (-0.5 percentage points to 2.9%) and Manitoba (-0.4 percentage points to 2.7%).
Map 1
Job vacancy rate decreases in four provinces
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 December 15, 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
The third quarter of 2025 JVWS results, which will provide insights into job vacancies by subsector, vacancies by occupation and offered wages, will be released on December 16, 2025. October 2025 data for SEPH and JVWS will be released on December 18.
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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