Wholesale and retail sector lead a surge in job growth in July, but level still off from a year ago: Statistics Canada

Employment increased by 75,000 (+0.4%) in July and the employment rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 60.9%. The unemployment rate declined 0.1 percentage points to 6.4%, the lowest rate since July 2024, reported Statistics Canada on Friday.

Employment increased in wholesale and retail trade (+21,000; +0.7%); finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (+18,000; +1.2%); professional, scientific and technical services (+17,000; +0.8%); as well as in construction (+16,000; +1.0%). In contrast, employment declined in public administration (-15,000; -1.2%) and agriculture (-9,600; -4.3%), noted the federal agency.

“Wholesale and retail trade (+21,000; +0.7%) recorded the largest employment increase across industries in July. Despite the monthly increase, employment in this industry was down by 50,000 (-1.7%) compared with 12 months earlier, largely reflecting a downward trend observed from January to May 2026,” said Statistics Canada.

Overall employment rose among core-aged people (25 to 54 years old) (+51,000; +0.4%), mostly for women in that age group (+33,000; +0.5%), it said.

The unemployment rate for core-aged women fell 0.3 percentage points to 5.2%, while it held steady for core-aged men (5.8%), youth (12.6%), and people aged 55 and older (5.2%).

There were more people working in Ontario (+52,000; +0.6%), British Columbia (+18,000; +0.6%), Manitoba (+5,900; +0.8%), and Nova Scotia (+4,600; +0.9%).

Average hourly wages among employees were up 2.8% (+$1.01 to $37.17) on a year-over-year basis in July, following growth of 3.3% in June (not seasonally adjusted), added Statistics Canada.

Since April, total employment was up by 181,000 (+0.9%), driven by a rise in full-time work (+193,000; +1.1%), said Statistics Canada.

The employment rate—the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who are employed—increased by 0.1 percentage points to 60.9% in July. The rate was up 0.2 percentage points compared with 12 months earlier, it said.

“In July, the number of private sector employees rose (+58,000; +0.4%), as did the number of self-employed workers (+44,000; +1.6%). These gains were partially offset by a decline in the number of public sector employees (-27,000; -0.6%). Since April, employment growth has been concentrated among private sector employees (+146,000; +1.1%) and self-employed workers (+73,000; +2.7%),” explained Statistics Canada.

Unemployment rate by province and territory, July 2026

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