Question Period Note: LABOUR FORCE SURVEY RESULTS FOR MAY 2025

On June 6th, Statistics Canada released the Labour Force Survey results for May 2025. The latest results show that employment was little changed in May (+8,800 or +0.04%). The unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points to reach 7.0%.

· While we are still seeing employment growth, the Canadian labour market faces great uncertainty due to the trade war with the United States.
· This government will continue to support Canadians by building a one Canadian economy and by protecting and supporting workers in tariffs-hit industries.

· Every month, the Labour Force Survey (LFS) collects information on all individuals 15 and over in a sample of around 68,000 Canadian households to provide a timely and detailed picture of the labour market across the country.
· The next LFS data (June figures) will be released on July 11th, 2025.

Main changes since last month (May 2025 vs April 2025)
• Employment: Employment was little changed in May (+8,800 or +0.04%). Full-time employment grew by 57,700 (+0.3%), while part-time employment fell by 48,800 (-1.3%).
• Employment rate: The employment rate remained stable at 60.8%.
• Labour force: The number of people who were part of the labour force increased by 35,300 (+0.2%) in May. The participation rate remained stable at 65.3%, as the working-age population increased by 37,000 (+0.1%).
• Unemployment: The number of unemployed individuals increased by 26,500 (+1.7%) in May. The unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percentage points to reach 7.0%.
• Long-term unemployment: Those who are unemployed and have been looking for work or on temporary layoff for 27 weeks or more increased by 9,300 (+2.7%) in May. This brought the total number of long-term unemployed to 356,400, comprising slightly more than one-fifth (22.6%) of all unemployed people.
• By gender: Employment among women increased by 17,800 (+0.2%) in May, while employment among men decreased by 8,900 (-0.1%).
• By age group: In May, employment increased by 10,300 (+0.1%) among those aged 25-54 years. Meanwhile, employment was little changed among those aged 15-24 years and 55 years and over.
• By industry: Employment increased in half of the 16 major industry groups in May. The largest increases were recorded in wholesale and retail trade (+42,800 or +1.5%), information, culture and recreation (+19,300 or +2.3%), and finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (+12,400 or +0.8%). In contrast, the largest declines were recorded in public administration (-32,200 or -2.5%), accommodation and food services (-16,400 or -1.4%), transportation and warehousing (-15,500 or -1.4%), and business, building and other support services (-14,500 or -2.1%).
• By province – employment: Employment increased in six provinces in May. The largest increases were recorded in British Columbia (+13,000 or +0.4%), Nova Scotia (+10,600 or +2.1%), and New Brunswick (+7,600 or +1.9%). Meanwhile, the largest declines were recorded in Quebec (-17,000 or -0.4%), Manitoba (-5,800 or -0.8%), and Prince Edward Island (-2,700 or -2.9%).
• By province – unemployment rate: The unemployment rate increased in six of the provinces in May. The largest increases were observed in Prince Edward Island (+1.6 ppts from 6.6% to 8.2%), Manitoba (+0.6 ppts), and Alberta (+0.3 ppts). Meanwhile, the largest declines were recorded in Nova Scotia (-0.7 ppts), New Brunswick (-0.6 ppts), and Quebec (-0.2 ppts). Saskatchewan (4.2%) had the lowest unemployment rate in the country, followed by Quebec (5.8%), Manitoba (5.9%), and New Brunswick (6.3%).
• Unemployment among youth returning to school: In May, the unemployment rate among returning students aged 15-24 was 20.1%, an increase of 3.2 percentage points from May 2024 (not seasonally adjusted). The unemployment rate for this group has trended up each May from the record low of 11.4% in May 2022, which was observed during a tight labour market.