July employment data revealed | Wealth Professional
Private sector employment rose by 58,000 (+0.4%), while self-employed workers increased by 44,000 (+1.6%). Public sector employment fell by 27,000 (-0.6%).
Ontario drives national gains
Ontario accounted for the largest provincial increase, adding 52,000 jobs (+0.6%) in July. The province’s unemployment rate fell to 6.8 per cent, down from a recent high of 7.9 per cent in December 2025. British Columbia added 18,000 jobs (+0.6%), with unemployment there declining to 6.2 per cent. Manitoba (+5,900; +0.8%) and Nova Scotia (+4,600; +0.9%) also recorded gains.
Quebec’s employment was little changed in July, with an unemployment rate of 5.6 per cent. Alberta’s employment was similarly flat month-over-month, though it was up 91,000 (+3.5%) on a year-over-year basis. Alberta’s unemployment rate held at 7.0 per cent.
Wage growth continues to moderate
Average hourly wages among employees rose 2.8 per cent year-over-year in July 2026, reaching $37.17, according to Statistics Canada. That compares with growth of 3.3 per cent recorded in June 2026.
Core-aged women (25 to 54 years old) saw the unemployment rate fall 0.3 percentage points to 5.2 per cent in July, while the rate for core-aged men held steady at 5.8 per cent. The employment rate for core-aged women rose to 81.2 per cent, above the pre-pandemic average of 79.1 per cent recorded from 2017 to 2019.
