Canada’s labor market delivered a strong upside surprise in September, with employment rising by 60.4k, well above expectations of just 2.8k. The gains were concentrated in manufacturing (+28k), health care and social assistance (+14k), and agriculture (+13k), while wholesale and retail trade saw a notable decline of -21k.
The report reinforces signs of resilience across key sectors even amid broader uncertainty over the impact of U.S. trade and tariff policies.
The data also showed a healthy quality of job growth, with full-time employment surging 106k while part-time positions dropped -46k, suggesting improved job stability.
Unemployment rate held steady at 7.1%, defying expectations for a modest uptick to 7.2%. Wage growth also firmed slightly, with average hourly earnings up 3.3% yoy, from 3.2% yoy in August.
, health care and social assistance (+14k), and agriculture (+13k), while wholesale and retail trade saw a notable decline of -21k.){kind=link}