Canada’s unemployment rate rose to 6.7% in October, with Alberta reporting a sharp drop in employment and a higher unemployment rate.
Employment across the country fell by 4,700, a decline of less than 0.1%, while the employment rate slipped to 60.5%.
The national unemployment rate was up 0.2 percentage points from September. About 21.1 million Canadians were employed in October.
Alberta’s employment fell 0.9% in October, while its unemployment rate climbed from 6.4% to 7.3%, the largest monthly increase among the provinces.
Approximately 2.66 million people were employed in Alberta during the month.
Ontario’s unemployment rate also reached 7.3%, an increase of 0.3 percentage points. Employment in the province declined 0.1%.
Saskatchewan’s unemployment rate rose to 5.9%, up 0.5 percentage points, although employment increased 0.4%.
Quebec gained jobs in October, with employment rising 0.2% and unemployment falling to 5.7%.
British Columbia added about 12,000 jobs, a 0.4% increase, after losing jobs in September. Its unemployment rate was 6.3%.
Manitoba recorded the lowest unemployment rate among the provinces at 5.0%.
Young Canadians faced a tougher job market in October.
The unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 rose 0.7 percentage points to 13.7%, following three months of relatively little change.
Unemployment among workers aged 25 to 54 remained steady at 5.8% for men and 5.3% for women.
Compared with October 2025, unemployment among women in this age group was down 0.4 percentage points. The rate for men showed little change.
Construction employment increased by 16,000 in October, up 0.9%. The industry employed 47,000 more people than a year earlier, an increase of 2.9%.
Educational services added 15,000 jobs, recovering some of the 35,000 positions lost in September.
Despite the monthly gain, employment in education was still down 48,000, or 3.0%, compared with October 2025.
Those expenses included housing, food, transportation and clothing.
The proportion was 27.7% in October 2025 and 35.5% in October 2022.
Financial difficulties varied considerably across major cities.
Oshawa, Ont., had the highest proportion among Canada’s 15 largest metropolitan areas, at 38.4%. Windsor followed at 36.9%, while Hamilton recorded 35.9%.
Quebec City had the lowest proportion at 15.7%.
Single-parent households were more likely to report financial difficulties.
Among people aged 25 to 54 living in single-parent households, 47.2% reported difficulty meeting basic expenses.
The figure was 33.0% for people living in households with couples and children, and 27.3% for those living with a partner without children.
Despite the employment figures, most working Canadians surveyed said they were satisfied with their jobs.
That was slightly lower than the 62.2% recorded in 2023.
Workers aged 55 to 69 reported the highest satisfaction levels, with 68.9% giving their jobs a rating of at least eight.
Among workers aged 15 to 24, the figure was 57.5%. It was 57.4% for those aged 25 to 34.
Job satisfaction also differed by occupation.
Workers in natural resources and agriculture-related occupations reported the highest satisfaction rate at 68.5%, followed by management occupations at 67.4%.
Sales and service workers had the lowest rate at 54.3%. Their average hourly wage was $24.19, also the lowest among the broad occupational groups examined.
The October Labour Force Survey covered the week of October 11 to 17.
The agency advises that monthly employment figures can fluctuate and are best assessed alongside longer-term trends.