13.03.202612:42:27UTC+00Canada Employment Unexpectedly Falls

Employment in Canada declined by 83,900 jobs (‑0.4%) in February 2026, following a loss of 25,000 positions in January and sharply undershooting expectations for a gain of 10,000. This was the steepest monthly drop since January 2022.

The downturn was driven by full-time employment, which fell by 108,400 (‑0.6%), while part-time employment was little changed, rising by 24,500 after a decline in January.

By industry, employment decreased in wholesale and retail trade (‑17,900; ‑0.6%), other services (‑13,900; ‑1.8%), information, culture, and recreation (‑12,000; ‑1.4%), and construction (‑11,800; ‑0.7%). These losses were partly offset by gains in transportation and warehousing (+10,300; +0.9%) and public administration (+8,100; +0.7%).

Regionally, employment fell sharply in Quebec (‑57,000; ‑1.2%), followed by Saskatchewan (‑5,500; ‑0.9%) and Manitoba (‑4,000; ‑0.5%). In contrast, Newfoundland and Labrador recorded an increase of 2,100 jobs (+0.8%).