Canada added 18,000 jobs in June as unemployment rate edged down

Jobless rate fell to 6.5%, from 6.6% in May

Canada's economy added 18,000 jobs in June, continuing the momentum in the job market seen the month before.

The moderate addition of jobs helped the unemployment rate to edge down slightly to 6.5 per cent.

Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a net of 10,000 job gains, following a jump of 87,800 jobs in May, and they had estimated the unemployment rate at 6.6 per cent.

Statistics Canada said the job gains ⁠in June were largely concentrated in part-time work and in accommodation and food services.

On the other side of the ledger, job losses in the manufacturing sector to the tune of 17,000 positions were a drag on the figures.

Canadian economy adds 88,000 jobs in May, helping offset job losses so far this year

The unemployment rate among youth fell 0.7 percentage points to 12.7 in the month, as 33,000 positions were added for workers between the ages of 15 and 24.

While the unemployment rate in this category has improved in the last two months, Statistics Canada said it still remains higher than the pre-pandemic average of 10.8 per cent observed during the period from 2017 to 2019.

Jobs data also indicates a better student summer job market than last year. The unemployment rate for students planning to return to school in the fall was 15.3 per cent last month — down 2.1 percentage points from June 2025. But in this category, too, the rate was still higher than the pre-pandemic average of 13 per cent.

Returning students mostly found employment in the retail trade, accommodation and food services, and information, culture and recreation sectors in June.

Among core-aged workers (25 to 54), the unemployment rate was steady.