Labour Force Survey, May 2026
Released: 2026-06-05
Highlights
Employment increased by 88,000 (+0.4%) in May and the employment rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 60.7%. The unemployment rate fell 0.3 percentage points to 6.6%.
Employment increased among core-aged (25 to 54 years old) women (+31,000; +0.5%), core-aged men (+25,000; +0.3%), and youth aged 15 to 24 (+22,000; +0.8%).
The unemployment rate for youth declined 0.9 percentage points to 13.4%. The rate also fell among core-aged women (-0.4 percentage points to 5.5%) and core-aged men (-0.4 percentage points to 5.7%).
Employment increased in several industries, most notably in construction (+27,000; +1.7%), information, culture and recreation (+19,000; +2.3%), transportation and warehousing (+19,000; +1.7%) and accommodation and food services (+17,000; +1.5%). On the other hand, employment decreased in wholesale and retail trade (-35,000; -1.2%).
Employment rose in Ontario (+42,000; +0.5%), British Columbia (+25,000; +0.9%), Alberta (+14,000; +0.5%) and Prince Edward Island (+1,200; +1.3%), while it fell in Saskatchewan (-6,100; -1.0%).
Average hourly wages among employees increased 3.0% (+$1.10 to $37.24) on a year-over-year basis in May, following growth of 4.5% in April (not seasonally adjusted).
Employment increases driven by full-time work
Employment increased by 88,000 (+0.4%) in May, the first significant employment gain since November 2025. The increase in May follows a net decline of 112,000 (-0.5%) over the first four months of 2026. On a year-over-year basis, employment was up by 147,000 (+0.7%) in May.
Chart 1
Employment rate rises in May 2026, the first increase since November 2025
The number of people working full-time rose by 154,000 (+0.9%) in May. The increase in the month offsets a downward trend observed from January to April, in which the number of full-time workers fell by 156,000 (-0.9%). In May, part-time employment decreased by 66,000 (-1.7%).
The employment rate—the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who are employed—rose by 0.2 percentage points to 60.7% in May. This was the first increase since November 2025. The employment rate was unchanged on a year-over-year basis in May 2026.
Infographic 1
Employment rate by age group, May 2026
Employment rose among employees in both the private sector (+56,000; +0.4%) and the public sector (+20,000; +0.4%) in May. The number of self-employed workers was little changed.
Unemployment rate falls to 6.6%
The unemployment rate fell 0.3 percentage points to 6.6% in May. The rate had previously increased from a recent low of 6.5% in January to 6.9% in April.
Chart 2
Unemployment rate falls to 6.6% in May 2026, below the recent high of 7.1% in August and September 2025
Since the spring of 2024, the unemployment rate has remained above its average (6.0%) observed from 2017 to 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The unemployment rate reached a recent peak in August and September 2025, when it was 7.1%.
As employment picked up in May, the job-finding rate ticked up: just over one-quarter (26.3%) of people who were unemployed in April found work in May. This was up 3.7 percentage points compared with the same period last year but remained below the pre-pandemic average for the corresponding months from 2017 to 2019 (31.5%). At the same time, the layoff rate remained relatively stable at 0.6%, little changed compared with a year earlier and in-line with the pre-pandemic average (not seasonally adjusted).
Youth unemployment rate declines
The unemployment rate among youth (aged 15 to 24) fell 0.9 percentage points to 13.4% in May, the first decline since January. The youth unemployment rate in May was 1.2 percentage points below the recent peak recorded in September 2025 (14.6%). Youth have faced more difficult labour market conditions in recent years. Since January 2024, the youth unemployment rate has consistently been above the pre-pandemic average of 10.8%.
Infographic 2
Unemployment rate by age group, May 2026
The number of youth working full-time rose in May (+99,000; +7.7%), offsetting a similar-sized decline over the previous four months (-91,000; -6.6%). Gains in full-time work in the month were partially offset by a decline in the number of youth working part-time (-76,000; -5.5%). On a year-over-year basis, the number of young people working full-time was little changed, while the number working part-time was down by 45,000 (-3.3%).
Unemployment rate down among core-aged women and men
For people in the core working age (25 to 54 years old), the unemployment rate fell among both women (-0.4 percentage points to 5.5%) and men (-0.4 percentage points to 5.7%) in May. For core-aged women, the rate was little changed from 12 months earlier, while for men in this age group it was down 0.5 percentage points.
Declines in the unemployment rate in May coincided with increases in the number of employed core-aged women and men. Among core-aged women, employment rose by 31,000 (+0.5%), all in full-time work (+38,000; +0.7%). For core-aged men, employment rose by 25,000 (+0.3%).
Employment among people aged 55 years and older was little changed in May and the unemployment rate for people in this age group was also little changed at 5.0%.
Students see better start to the summer job market than last year
May marks the beginning of another summer student job season—an important source of income and work experience for many young Canadians. From May to August, the Labour Force Survey collects labour market information about students who attended school full time in March and who intend to return to school full time in the fall. The month of May provides the first indicator of the summer job market, especially for older youth, as high-school students are still attending classes.
In May, the unemployment rate among returning students aged 15 to 24 was 18.0%, down 2.1 percentage points from the same month in 2025 (20.1%). In 2025, returning students had faced the slowest start to the summer job market since 2009 (outside 2020 and 2021, during the pandemic) (not seasonally adjusted).
Among returning students who were employed, a higher proportion worked in accommodation and food services in May 2026 compared with May 2025 (+2.5 percentage points to 23.0%). The largest share worked in retail trade (28.4%), which was little changed from the previous year. Information, culture and recreation was another industry in which a large proportion of returning students were employed (12.6%).
Employment growth across several industries, led by construction
Employment gains in May were broad-based across industries, with the largest increases in construction (+27,000; +1.7%), information, culture and recreation (+19,000; +2.3%), transportation and warehousing (+19,000; +1.7%) and accommodation and food services (+17,000; +1.5%).
Chart 3
Employment change by industry, May 2026
Despite the monthly gains, employment in May was little changed on a year-over-year basis in construction as well as in information, culture and recreation. On the other hand, employment was up compared with 12 months earlier in transportation and warehousing (+36,000; +3.4%) and accommodation and food services (+34,000; +3.0%).
Employment also rose in manufacturing in May (+15,000; +0.8%). Employment in this industry was little changed compared with 12 months earlier, but was down 44,000 (-2.3%) compared with January 2025. The manufacturing sector has faced heightened economic uncertainty since early 2025, driven by U.S. tariff policies.
In May 2026, fewer people worked in wholesale and retail trade (-35,000; -1.2%). Employment in this industry has trended down since October 2025 and was down by 64,000 (-2.1%) in May 2026 compared with a year earlier.
Employment increases in Ontario for the second consecutive month
Employment in Ontario increased by 42,000 (+0.5%) in May, bringing the cumulative gains for April and May to 84,000 (+1.0%). At the same time, the unemployment rate in Ontario fell 0.5 percentage points to 7.0%—the lowest rate since September 2024.
Map 1
Unemployment rate by province and territory, May 2026
In British Columbia, employment rose by 25,000 (+0.9%) in May, partially offsetting the cumulative loss of 39,000 (-1.3%) recorded in February and March. The unemployment rate in the province was unchanged at 6.8% in May.
In Alberta, employment increased by 14,000 (+0.5%) in May, following three consecutive months of little variation. Employment in Alberta was up by 104,000 (+4.1%) on a year-over-year basis in May, the largest year-over-year increase among the provinces. The unemployment rate in Alberta was 6.6% in May, down 0.4 percentage points in the month and down 0.8 percentage points compared with 12 months earlier.
Employment also rose in Prince Edward Island in May (+1,200; +1.3%). Compared with 12 months earlier, employment in the province was up by 4,700 (+5.1%). The unemployment rate in Prince Edward Island fell 1.3 percentage points to 6.7% in May.
On the other hand, employment fell in Saskatchewan (-6,100; -1.0%) in May. Despite the decline in the month, employment in the province was little changed compared with 12 months earlier. The unemployment rate in Saskatchewan was 6.2% in May, up 0.6 percentage points from April.
Employment in Quebec edged up (+13,000; +0.3%) in May, following a net decline of 91,000 (-1.9%) from January to April. The unemployment rate in Quebec declined 0.6 percentage points to 5.6% in May, as fewer people searched for work. On a year-over-year basis, the unemployment rate in the province was little changed.
Unemployment rate down in the Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver census metropolitan areas
The unemployment rate in the Toronto census metropolitan area fell 1.1 percentage points to 6.8% in May, the lowest level since November 2023. The rate in May 2026 was down from a recent peak of 9.0% in May 2025 and July 2025. Recent declines in Toronto have brought its unemployment rate closer to the rate observed in Montréal (6.5%) and Vancouver (6.4%) in May 2026.
Chart 4
Unemployment rate trends among the largest census metropolitan areas
The unemployment rate also fell in Montréal (-1.2 percentage points) in May, largely offsetting the increase recorded in the previous month. In Vancouver, the unemployment rate decreased 0.6 percentage points to 6.4%. In both Montréal and Vancouver, the unemployment rate in May was virtually unchanged on a year-over-year basis.
In the Spotlight: The proportion of Canadians working exclusively from home continues to decrease
Following the pandemic, which saw record proportions of employed Canadians working remotely, many Canadian workers returned to offices or work sites outside the home. The share of employed Canadians working exclusively outside of home has increased gradually since then, while hybrid work arrangements have been stable since 2023.
In May 2026, the proportion of Canadians working exclusively outside of the home was 78.8%, higher than the corresponding proportions in May 2025 (77.6%) and May 2022 (75.0%).
Chart 5
Work location for employed Canadians for the month of May
In contrast, the proportion of employed Canadians working exclusively from home in May 2026 (11.4%), was down 1.0 percentage points from the same month in 2025 (12.4%) and down 7.3 percentage points from May 2022 (18.7%).
About 1 in 10 (9.8%) workers had a hybrid work arrangement in May 2026, in which they worked some hours at home and some hours at locations other than home. The proportion working in a hybrid arrangement rose from 6.4% in May 2022 to 10.0% in May 2023 and has varied little since then.
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 May reflect labour market conditions during the reference week of May 10 to 16, 2026.
The sample size of the LFS is approximately 65,000 households, representing over 100,000 respondents each month. For more information, see the Guide to the Labour Force Survey.
This analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 68% confidence level. Monthly estimates may show more sampling variability than trends observed over longer periods. For more information, see "Interpreting Monthly Changes in Employment from the Labour Force Survey."
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.
The employment rate is the number of employed people as a percentage of the population aged 15 years and older. The rate for a particular group (for example, youth aged 15 to 24 years) 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 years 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).
This release refers to the gender of a person. The category "men" includes men, as well as some non-binary persons. The category "women" includes women, as well as some non-binary persons. Given that the non-binary population is small, data aggregation to a two-category gender variable is necessary to protect the confidentiality of responses provided.
Seasonal adjustment
Unless otherwise stated, estimates presented in this release are seasonally adjusted, which facilitates comparisons by removing the effects of typical seasonal variations. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonally adjusted data: Concepts and interpretation.
Population totals 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 some exceptions (those living on reserves, full-time members of the regular Armed Forces and persons living in institutions). The 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 derived from Canada's official population estimates, with minor adjustments being made to reflect the LFS target population.
While the LFS population totals are generally aligned with official demographic estimates, the official 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."
Data for the Labour Market Indicators program are now available for May 2026.
Next release
The next release of the LFS will be on July 10, 2026. June 2026 data will reflect labour market conditions during the week of June 14 to 20.
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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