Key Takeaways
- Payroll employment increased by 26,100, or 0.1%, in July.
- Average weekly earnings rose 3.2% year over year to $1,347.14.
- Canada had 501,000 job vacancies in July, with the vacancy rate unchanged at 2.8%.
Payroll Employment Rises in July
The number of employees receiving pay and benefits from their employers increased by 26,100, or 0.1%, in July.
This followed three consecutive monthly increases from March to June that together added 124,200 payroll jobs, or 0.7%.
On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment was up by 171,900, or 0.9%, in July.
Retail and Food Services Lead Monthly Gains
Payroll employment increased in eight of Canada's 20 sectors in July.
Retail trade recorded the largest increase, adding 3,900 payroll employees, or 0.2%. Accommodation and food services followed with an increase of 3,600, or 0.3%.
Professional, scientific and technical services added 2,500 employees, or 0.2%, while real estate and rental and leasing increased by 2,300, or 0.8%.
These gains were partly offset by declines in public administration and wholesale trade.
Public Administration Employment Falls
Payroll employment in public administration declined by 5,700, or 0.4%, in July.
The decrease followed four consecutive monthly increases that had added 39,500 payroll employees, or 3.0%.
Statistics Canada said the July decline was concentrated in federal government public administration, which fell by 6,400, or 1.6%.
The agency noted that recent movements in federal government public administration largely reflected temporary staffing activities related to the 2026 Census.
Average Weekly Earnings Rise 3.2%
Average weekly earnings reached $1,347.14 in July, increasing 3.2% compared with the same month a year earlier.
The annual increase followed growth of 3.4% in June.
Statistics Canada noted that changes in average weekly earnings can reflect several factors, including changes in wages, the composition of employment, hours worked and base-year effects.
On a monthly basis, average weekly earnings were little changed in July.
Job Vacancies Remain at 501,000
Canada had 501,000 job vacancies in July.
Statistics Canada said this represented a seventh consecutive month of little variation. Job vacancies were also little changed compared with July 2025.
The job vacancy rate was 2.8% in July, unchanged from June and from July 2025.
Since April 2025, the vacancy rate has remained within a narrow range of 2.7% to 2.8%.
Nearly Three Unemployed People Per Vacancy
There were 2.9 unemployed people for every job vacancy in July, unchanged from June.
Compared with July 2025, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio declined by 0.3.
Statistics Canada said this mainly reflected a decrease of 105,200 unemployed people, or 6.7%, over the year. The unemployment rate fell from 6.9% to 6.4% over the same period.
Job Vacancies Shift Across Industries
Job vacancies declined in construction by 4,000, or 10.4%, in July. Vacancies also fell in real estate and rental and leasing by 1,500, or 20.9%.
At the same time, several sectors recorded year-over-year increases.
Accommodation and food services had 7,400 more vacancies than a year earlier, while manufacturing vacancies increased by 7,300.
Administrative and support, waste management and remediation services recorded an increase of 3,800 vacancies, while mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction increased by 1,900.
Provincial Labour Demand Shows Mixed Results
Alberta recorded an increase of 7,700 job vacancies in July, bringing its total to 73,100 and its highest level since September 2024.
Manitoba also recorded an increase of 2,200 vacancies to 20,900.
Ontario saw vacancies decline by 10,700 to 170,800, while Quebec recorded a decrease of 8,000 to 109,200.
Year over year, vacancies increased in Alberta and Manitoba but declined in Nova Scotia.
What the July Data Shows
The July figures show continued growth in payroll employment alongside relatively stable labour demand.
Average weekly earnings continued to increase on an annual basis, while the number of job vacancies remained within the narrow range seen over recent months.
Statistics Canada also cautions that payroll employment and Labour Force Survey employment are different measures because the two programs use different concepts and methodologies.
The latest data therefore provides one part of the broader picture of Canada's labour market, covering payroll employment, earnings, hours and job vacancies.