Canada Adds 75,000 Jobs in July as Unemployment Falls to Two-Year Low of 6.4%

Canada added 75,000 jobs in July 2026, pushing the unemployment rate down to 6.4% — its lowest level since July 2024 — Statistics Canada reported on August 7.

Hiring was broad-based, led by wholesale and retail trade, finance and real estate, professional services, and construction, while government and farm employment shrank.

Average wages rose 2.8% year-over-year, cooling from June's 3.3% pace; July's gains were split roughly evenly between full-time and part-time work, though the broader three-month trend since April has been dominated by full-time hiring.

Statistics Canada's monthly Labour Force Survey found employers added 75,000 positions in July — roughly triple the average monthly pace of the prior three months — bringing the unemployment rate down to 6.4%, the lowest reading in two years. The employment rate, the share of Canadians aged 15 and older who have a job, edged up to 60.9%. Retailers, financial and real-estate firms, professional-services companies and builders accounted for most of the new jobs, while public-sector payrolls and farm employment both shrank. Wage growth held positive but slowed from June, and youth unemployment eased from an April peak even though it remains above pre-pandemic norms. The report caps a three-month stretch in which Canada has added 181,000 jobs, almost all of it full-time work.