Canada: Employment
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
The most recent value is 21.26 million employed people as of Q2 2026, an increase compared to the previous value of 20.79 million employed people. Historically, the average for Canada from Q1 1960 to Q2 2026 is 13.22 million employed people. The minimum of 5.65 million employed people was recorded in Q1 1960, while the maximum of 21.26 million employed people was reached in Q2 2026.
Click on the following link to see the values of: Employment around the world.
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* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
- Measure: million employed people
- Source: OECD
| Recent values | Canada: Employment, million people |
|---|---|
| 2026  Q2 | 21.26 |
| 2026  Q1 | 20.79 |
| 2025  Q4 | 21.1 |
| 2025  Q3 | 21.11 |
| 2025  Q2 | 21.17 |
| 2025  Q1 | 20.73 |
| 2024  Q4 | 20.84 |
| 2024  Q3 | 20.88 |
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Definition: The number of people, in millions, engaged in the economy as paid employees or as self-employed.
| Related indicators | Latest | Reference | Measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor force | 22.84 | 2025 | million people |
| Unemployment rate | 6.91 | 2025 | percent |
| Female unemployment | 6.56 | 2025 | percent |
| Male unemployment | 7.22 | 2025 | percent |
| Youth unemployment | 13.80 | 2025 | percent |
| Labor force participation | 64.52 | 2025 | percent |
| Labor force: percent female | 47.23 | 2025 | percent |
| Female labor force participation | 60.20 | 2025 | percent |
| Male labor force participation | 68.94 | 2025 | percent |
| Hours worked | 1,685.01 | 2023 | hours |
| Self-employment | 12.91 | 2025 | percent |
| Employment | 21.26 | Q2/2026 | million employed people |
| Unemployment rate | 6.50 | 6/2026 | percent |
| Labor cost | 130.27 | Q1/2026 | index points |