In March, payroll employment in retail trade decreased by 3,600 (-0.2%). This decline extends a downward trend for the sector following a peak in June 2023, with an overall decline of 69,700 (-3.4%) during this period, according to a report by Statistics Canada.
On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in retail trade was down by 20,300 (-1.0%) in March 2026. This decline was mainly attributable to clothing and clothing accessories retailers (-6,800; -4.0%), department stores (-6,500; -6.7%), furniture, floor covering, window treatment and other home furnishings retailers (-3,700; -5.6%) and building material and supplies dealers (-3,100; -2.3%). It was partially offset by a gain in warehouse clubs, supercentres, and other general merchandise stores (+5,200; +3.2%), said the federal agency.
“Payroll employment in accommodation and food services (-7,000; -0.5%) decreased for a second consecutive month in March, bringing the cumulative decline since February to 9,700 (-0.7%). Payroll employment in the sector had previously increased by 3,100 (+0.2%) in January,” added Statistics Canada.
“The consecutive declines in the sector in February and March were broad-based, led by full-service restaurants and limited-service eating places (-6,300; -0.6%), special food services (-1,900; -2.4%) and traveller accommodation (-1,200; -0.7%).”
The federal agency said the number of overall employees in Canada receiving pay and benefits from their employer—measured as “payroll employment” in the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours—edged down by 31,800 (-0.2%) in March, bringing the cumulative decline since February to 69,900 (-0.4%). On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment was up slightly (+23,700; +0.1%) in March.
In March, declines in monthly payroll employment were led by accommodation and food services (-7,000; -0.5%), construction (-4,100; -0.3%), retail trade (-3,600; -0.2%), other services (except public administration) (-2,500; -0.4%) and real estate and rental and leasing (-1,900; -0.7%). Public administration (+4,300; +0.3%) and management of companies and enterprises (+900; +0.8%) recorded increases in March, it explained.
In Canada, job vacancies held steady at 500,300 in March. Year over year, job vacancies were down by 16,500 (-3.2%). This decrease was significantly lower than the decline from March 2024 to March 2025, when job vacancies fell by 81,900 (-13.7%). It was also the smallest year-over-year decline since September 2019, it said
“The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—was 2.8% in March 2026, unchanged from February. The rate was down 0.1 percentage points from March 2025 (2.9%),” added Statistics Canada.
“There were 3.0 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in March 2026, down 0.1 from the previous month and unchanged on a year-over-year basis.”
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