Employment in Canada drops in July
Released: Friday, August 22, 2025
Employment fell by 41,000 (-0.2%) in July, and the employment rate declined by 0.2 percentage points, reaching 60.7%. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remained steady, showing no change at 6.9%. This overall decline in employment during July was primarily concentrated in full-time work, which dropped by 51,000 (-0.3%). The number of employees in the private sector decreased by 39,000, representing a 0.3% decline. Meanwhile, the figures for public sector employment remained largely unchanged, showing no significant increase or decrease. Similarly, the number of self-employed individuals stayed relatively stable throughout July, with no notable fluctuations observed.
Data for the above chart comes from Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, July 2025.
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In 2023, Statistics Canada reported that 5.3 million Canadians—about 3 in 10 employees—were covered by collective bargaining agreements. Of which 76.7% of public sector employees were unionized compared to 15.5% of employees in the private sector.