Canada’s unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage points to 6.5 percent in November, with 54,000 jobs being created, according to Statistics Canada.
The Labour Force Survey released on Dec. 5 marks the second month in a row unemployment has fallen, declining from 7.1 percent to 6.9 percent. September’s unemployment rate was a high not seen since 2016 outside of the COVID-19 pandemic years, after drifting upward for most of 2025.
The StatCan report said the employment growth was concentrated among youth, with 50,000 of the jobs added for those aged 15 to 24. Employment for Canadians aged 25 to 54 years and those over 55 remained relatively unchanged.
Employment gains were centred in health care and social services (46,000), accommodation and food services (14,000), and natural resources (11,000). Employment in wholesale and retail trade, meanwhile, fell by 34,000. While the number of private sector employees rose by 52,000 (+0.4 percent) in November, there was little change in the number of public sector employees….