Statistics Canada reported a steady labour market in June, with employment little changed and the unemployment rate edging down after earlier weakness.
Employment rose by 18,000, or 0.1%, and the employment rate increased 0.1 percentage points to 60.8%. The unemployment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 6.5%.
The headline result masks some uneven movement by age group. Youth employment rose by 33,000, driven mainly by part-time work, and the youth unemployment rate fell to 12.7%. Employment also increased among core-aged workers, while it declined among workers aged 55 and older.
Industry results were mixed. Accommodation and food services added 15,000 jobs, while manufacturing fell by 17,000, agriculture by 7,600, and utilities by 7,300. Statistics Canada noted that manufacturing employment has declined by 61,000 since January 2025, coinciding with tariff-related uncertainty in the sector.
Wage growth remained an important part of the report. Average hourly wages were up 3.3% from a year earlier, rising by $1.19 to $37.20. That followed a 3.0% year-over-year increase in May.
Provincial changes were limited. Employment rose in Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan, while most other provinces were little changed. Ontario's unemployment rate held at 7.0%, Quebec's was 5.4%, and British Columbia's was 6.5%.
The June report points to a labour market that is no longer deteriorating sharply, but is not broadly strong either. Job availability, wage growth, and regional differences affect household income first; over time, they also shape income-tax receipts, payroll contributions, benefit demand, and the economic assumptions behind future budgets.