Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, January 2026
Released: 2026-03-26
$1,320.46
January 2026
2.0% 
(12-month change)
$1,314.24
January 2026
3.1%
(12-month change)
$1,156.68
January 2026
5.1%
(12-month change)
$1,198.75
January 2026
4.4%
(12-month change)
$1,229.96
January 2026
4.4%
(12-month change)
$1,267.08
January 2026
2.5%
(12-month change)
$1,355.96
January 2026
1.6%
(12-month change)
$1,199.35
January 2026
3.5%
(12-month change)
$1,301.73
January 2026
3.1%
(12-month change)
$1,369.76
January 2026
0.4%
(12-month change)
$1,332.84
January 2026
2.6%
(12-month change)
$1,508.15
January 2026
1.0%
(12-month change)
$1,778.22
January 2026
0.2%
(12-month change)
$1,879.30
January 2026
9.0%
(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—increased by 45,600 (+0.2%) in January following a decrease of 10,600 (-0.1%) in December. On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment was up by 33,500 (+0.2%) in January 2026.
Chart 1
Payroll employment increases in January, following a decrease in December
In January, monthly payroll employment increases were recorded in 9 out of 20 sectors, led by educational services (+20,000; +1.4%), followed by construction (+8,100; +0.7%), finance and insurance (+6,600; +0.8%) and health care and social assistance (+3,700; +0.1%). Monthly declines in January were concentrated in retail trade (-6,600; -0.3%).
Meanwhile, in January, there were 492,400 vacant positions in Canada, little changed from December, when an increase of 23,700 (+4.9%) was recorded. On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down by 35,100 (-6.7%) in January 2026.
Chart 2
Payroll employment increases in nine sectors in January
Payroll employment in educational services increases in January
Payroll employment in educational services increased by 20,000 (+1.4%) in January, partially offsetting a net decline from August to December 2025 (-23,400; -1.6%).
Year over year, payroll employment in educational services was down 5,900 (-0.4%) in January 2026. This decline was driven by community colleges and CEGEPs (-12,600; -8.7%) and was partially offset by increases in elementary and secondary schools (+4,600; +0.5%) and universities (+4,200; +1.2%).
Construction records payroll employment increases in January
Payroll employment in construction increased by 8,100 (+0.7%) in January, continuing the growth recorded since July 2025, with a cumulative increase of 23,700 (+2.0%) over the period.
In January 2026, month-over-month payroll employment increases in the sector were led by non-residential building construction (+1,500; +1.2%), foundation, structure and building exterior contractors (+1,400; +1.0%) and residential building construction (+1,200; +0.7%).
On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in construction was up by 24,100 (+2.0%) in January. Over the period from January 2025 to January 2026, increases were recorded in 8 of 10 industries, led by building equipment contractors (+8,900; +2.7%), non-residential building construction (+5,400; +4.3%) and other heavy and civil engineering construction (+2,900; +8.2%). Residential building construction (+800; +0.5%) recorded the smallest year-over-year increase across all the industries.
Payroll employment in finance and insurance increases in January
Payroll employment in finance and insurance (+6,600; +0.8%) rose in January after two consecutive months of declines in November and December, with a cumulative loss of 7,500 (-0.9%). The month-over-month increase in January was concentrated in credit intermediation and related activities (+8,400; +2.0%).
On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in finance and insurance was up by 11,900 (+1.4%) in January. Year-over-year increases were recorded in 5 out of 11 industries, led by depository credit intermediation (+10,300; +3.0%), activities related to credit intermediation (+3,200; +8.8%) and non-depository credit intermediation (+3,100; +8.3%). These year-over-year gains were partially offset by declines in securities and commodity contracts intermediation and brokerage (-5,000; -7.3%).
Retail trade records a decline in payroll employment in January
Payroll employment in retail trade decreased by 6,600 (-0.3%) in January, partially offsetting the gain in December (+4,700; +0.2%). On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in the sector was down by 29,900 (-1.5%) in January.
The year-over-year payroll employment decline in retail trade in January was led by clothing and clothing accessories retailers (-8,400; -5.0%), grocery and convenience retailers (-7,700; -1.8%) and department stores (-7,100; -7.2%). These losses were partially offset by gains warehouse clubs, supercentres, and other general merchandise retailers (+3,200; +1.9%) and health and personal care retailers (+1,600; +0.7%).
Average weekly earnings increase on a year-over-year basis in January
On a year-over-year basis, average weekly earnings were up 2.0% to $1,320 in January, following growth of 1.9% in December. 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 January 2026.
Average weekly hours worked (33.1 hours) were little changed in January, both on a month-over-month and year-over-year basis.
Job vacancies little change in January
In January, there were 492,400 vacant positions in Canada, little changed from December, when an increase of 23,700 (+4.9%) was recorded. On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were down by 35,100 (-6.7%) in January 2026.
The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—was 2.8% in January, unchanged from December. The rate in January 2026 was down by 0.1 percentage points from January 2025 (2.9%).
There were 3.0 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in January 2026, down from 3.1 in December. The ratio in January was down by 0.3 from the peak of 3.3 reached in August 2025. The decrease from August to January was the result of a decline in the number of unemployed persons (according to the Labour Force Survey) coupled with little variation in the number of job vacancies.
Infographic 1
Unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio decreased in January
Retail trade is the only sector to report an increase in job vacancies
In January, job vacancies were little changed across all sectors except for retail trade (+4,900; +10.5%). The monthly increase in job vacancies in retail trade was the first since July 2025. Despite the increase in the month, the number of vacancies in the sector in January 2026 was little changed compared with a year earlier.
On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies in January were down in five sectors and up in one. The largest year-over-year decreases were reported for health care and social assistance (-16,900; -15.4%), accommodation and food services (-8,300; -12.3%) and administrative and support, waste management and remediation services (-4,100; -14.5%). The only sector to report a year-over-year increase in job vacancies was finance and insurance (+2,100; +14.3%).
Chart 3
Year over year, job vacancies down in five sectors and up in one
Year over year, job vacancies down in three provinces and up in one
Year over year, job vacancies were down in Quebec (-16,000; -12.7%), Ontario (-10,100; -5.6%) and British Columbia (-9,300; -10.6%) in January. The only province to report an increase in job vacancies over the period was New Brunswick (+2,300; +26.9%).
In January, there were 5.4 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in Newfoundland and Labrador, the highest ratio among the provinces, followed by Ontario (3.8). In comparison, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio was lowest in Saskatchewan (2.1), followed by Quebec (2.3) and British Columbia (2.4).
Map 1
Unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio increased in three provinces and decreased in one
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 April 13, 2026.
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 NAICS. The population covered in this new SEPH data table includes crop production (NAICS code 111), support activities for crop production (NAICS code 1151), animal production and aquaculture (NAICS code 112), and support activities for animal production (NAICS code 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.
Historical Revisions to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours
On March 26, 2026, revised monthly SEPH estimates from January 2001 to December 2025 were released. This is a regular process undertaken each year to incorporate the latest seasonal factors, improve coverage or classification and incorporate additional or previously missing information. All seasonally unadjusted and seasonally adjusted data have been revised, resulting in minor changes to recent and historical estimates.
Next release
February 2026 data for SEPH and JVWS will be released on April 30, 2026.
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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