[Canadian] Unemployment rate jumps to 6.8% as more workers look for jobs
Source: The Canadian Press, via Yahoo!Finance
The Canadian Press
Unemployment rate jumps to 6.8% as more workers look for jobs
Craig Lord
Fri, January 9, 2026 at 2:55 p.m. EST 4 min read
OTTAWA -- Statistics Canada said a surge in workers rejoining the labour force pushed the unemployment rate higher to end the year. ... The unemployment rate rose to 6.8 per cent in December, StatCan said, up from 6.5 per cent in November.
The agency said the economy added a modest 8,200 jobs last month, topping economists' expectations for a decline of 5,000 positions. ... December's job growth was largely in full-time work with gains from the healthcare sector, while the professional, scientific and technical services side of the economy lost roles.
The data showed job gains in Ontario and Quebec last month did not keep pace with labour force growth in both provinces, driving the jobless rate higher. StatCan's definition of unemployment captures anyone who's not working but can work and is looking for a job.
RBC assistant chief economist Nathan Janzen said more people entering the labour force is an "encouraging development." ... While more job seekers can push up the unemployment rate, the increase suggests that Canadians who were on the sidelines of the labour market now feel more optimistic about their ability to find work.
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Read more: https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/statistics-canada-set-release-december-090004242.html
The way they act up there, you'd think it was a different country.
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https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/canada-gains-8200-jobs-dec-unemployment-rate-rises-68-2026-01-09/
Canada job creation pauses after hiring surge, unemployment rate rises
By David Ljunggren
January 9, 2026 9:31 AM EST Updated 9 hours ago
A help wanted sign at a store along Queen Street West in Toronto Ontario, Canada June 10, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio Purchase Licensing Rights,
OTTAWA, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Canada created just 8,200 net new jobs in December after three months of outsize gains and the unemployment rate rose to 6.8% from 6.5% as more people searched for work, Statistics Canada said on Friday.
Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a net loss of 5,000 positions and the jobless rate to edge up to 6.6%. ... The Canadian dollar dipped to C$1.3880 to the U.S. dollar, or 72.05 U.S. cents, from C$1.3873, or 72.08 cents.
The economy had added a total of 181,000 new jobs from September through November, in contrast to almost no change in the first eight months when U.S. tariffs and trade uncertainty choked hiring. ... There were 1.55 million people unemployed in December, an increase of 72,900, or 4.9%, from November.
"With more people once again looking for work, today's unemployment rate suggests that plenty of slack remains in the labor market," said Andrew Grantham, a senior economist at CIBC Capital Markets.
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/job-numbers-dec-2025-9.7039303
Canadian economy added 8,200 jobs in December, while unemployment rose to 6.8%
The results come after three months of strong gains from September to November. The unemployment rate rose to 6.8 per cent in December, up from 6.5 per cent in November.
Results come after 3 months of strong gains from September to November
The Canadian Press · Posted: Jan 09, 2026 9:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 7 hours ago
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