Canada Employment Research Brief

September hiring rebounds. Canada’s labour market regained momentum in September, adding 60,400 jobs and partially reversing the cumulative loss of 106,300 positions over the prior two months. Employment gains were broad-based, with ten of 16 industries expanding, driven entirely by full-time positions. The six-month moving average improved to a more respectable 10,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate held steady at 7.1 per cent amid a 72,000-person increase in the labour force. September’s report points to genuine underlying strength, suggesting that the worst of recent trade-related uncertainty may be fading. Moreover, optimism is building around potential sector-specific trade agreements with the United States, which could help stabilize hiring into 2026. Even so, risks persist as the ongoing USMCA renegotiation continues to cloud the outlook and is likely to temper near-term growth expectations.