# Canada's unemployment rate rises to 6.7% in October

> Employment in Canada was little changed in October 2026, down 4,700, and the unemployment rate rose 0.2 points to 6.7%, Statistics Canada says. Average hourly wages were up 2.2% on the year.

- Canonical URL: https://forextradingcommunity.com/news/canada-unemployment-rate-rises-6-7-percent-october-2026/
- Type: Data
- Published: 2026-11-06
- Updated: 2026-11-06
- Publisher: Forex Trading Community (https://forextradingcommunity.com), FTC Editorial Team
- Currencies: CAD

Employment in Canada was little changed in October 2026 (down 4,700, or 0.0%), after declines of 68,000 in September and 42,000 in August, Statistics Canada reported on 6 November 2026. The unemployment rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 6.7%, a second monthly increase, as more people searched for work ([Statistics Canada, The Daily, 6 November 2026](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/261106/dq261106a-eng.htm)).

## Key figures, October 2026 (seasonally adjusted)

- **Employment**: down 4,700 (0.0%)
- **Unemployment rate**: 6.7%, up 0.2 points; below the recent peak of 6.9% in April 2026
- **Employment rate**: 60.5%, down 0.1 points, the third monthly decline in a row
- **Youth unemployment rate (15 to 24)**: 13.7%, up 0.7 points
- **Average hourly wages**: up 2.2% on the year to $37.89, after 2.3% in September (not seasonally adjusted)

## Private and public sectors

The number of private-sector employees fell by 53,000 (0.4%), the first decline since February. Public-sector employees rose by 50,000 (1.1%), after four monthly declines totalling 148,000. Self-employment was little changed.

## Industries and provinces

Wholesale and retail trade lost 29,000 jobs (1.0%); the industry is down 113,000 (3.7%) over 12 months. Construction added 16,000 and educational services 15,000. Employment fell by 24,000 in Alberta, where the unemployment rate rose 0.9 points to 7.3%, and rose by 12,000 in British Columbia. In Ontario the unemployment rate rose 0.3 points to 7.3%, while in Quebec it fell 0.3 points to 5.7%.

Of the 1.5 million people unemployed in October, 23.7% had been looking for work for 27 weeks or more, up from 21.5% a year earlier.

## Context and next release

The Bank of Canada raised its policy rate to 2.50% on 28 October ([decision](/news/bank-of-canada-raises-rate-to-2-50-percent-october-2026/)). September's report: [Canada loses 68,000 jobs in September](/news/canada-jobs-report-september-2026-employment-falls-68000/). The US jobs report came out at the same time: [US payrolls rise 165,000 in October](/news/us-payrolls-rise-165000-october-2026/).

The November survey is released on 4 December 2026 and reflects the week of 8 to 14 November. Live prices: [USD/CAD](/markets/usd-cad/).

## Sources

- [Statistics Canada: Labour Force Survey, October 2026, The Daily, 6 November 2026](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/261106/dq261106a-eng.htm)

## Common questions

### What was Canada's unemployment rate in October 2026?

6.7%, up 0.2 percentage points from September, according to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey released on 6 November 2026.

### Did Canada add jobs in October 2026?

Employment was little changed, down 4,700, after declines of 68,000 in September and 42,000 in August.

### When is the next Canadian jobs report?

Statistics Canada releases the November 2026 Labour Force Survey on 4 December 2026.

---

This article is for information only and is not financial advice. Trading forex and CFDs carries a high risk of losing money.