Unemployment Jumps as Economy Loses 84K Jobs in February Report
The national economy shed an unexpected total of 84,000 jobs last month according to the Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey released Friday. This sharp contraction pushed the unemployment rate up two ticks from January's low of six point five per cent to a new high of sixty-seven percent in February. Economists had previously forecast modest growth with gains around ten thousand positions but were instead met by significant job losses across both goods-producing and services industries, particularly within wholesale trade which suffered eighteen-thousand vacancies alone
Key Points
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1Canada's employment numbers for February showed an unexpected contraction with job losses totaling more than expected.
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2The national unemployment rate increased by two-tenths from January and rose to reach the highest level in over four years at six point seven percent.
Developments
Perspectives
Canada's employment numbers were significantly worse than expected in February as full-time private sector job losses offset previous gains and defied economist forecasts.
— [Mar 13, 14:21] Canada Unemployment Rises to 6.7% as 84,000 Jobs Lost (Reddit)The unemployment rate rose two ticks from the January low of 6.5 per cent because more than 100,000 jobs were lost in full-time work.
— [Mar 13, 13:49] Canada lost 84,000 jobs in February... (The Toronto Star)Economists had been expecting a gain of only about ten thousand new positions when the economy actually shed eighty-four-thousand posts across both services and goods-producing industries.
— [Mar 13, 12:55] Canada's unemployment rate rises to 6.7%... (Financialpost)Wholesale trade lost eighteen hundred jobs while retail suffered two thousand job losses in the same period that saw a general contraction across sectors producing goods and services.
— [Mar 13, 08:25] Canada's economy loses eighty-four-thousand posts... (CBC | Business)The participation rate dropped to sixty-five per cent as fewer people looked for work compared with the previous month when jobless rates were lower and more individuals sought employment.
— [Mar 13, 08:25] Canada's economy loses eighty-four-thousand posts... (CBC | Business)Statistics Canada reported that February employment fell sharply by an unexpected 84,000 jobs to push the national unemployment rate up two points to a record high of 6.7 per cent. While total annual gains were offset this year with consecutive monthly losses in early January and February, Quebec experienced its first significant provincial job loss since late autumn last month as it saw over half that number cut compared to other regions like Ontario where employment held steady
Canada's unemployment rate rose to 6.7 per cent in February compared with the previous month of June point five percent while employment fell by approximately eighty thousand jobs overall participation dropped slightly, youth (15-24 years) and men over twenty-five remain unaffected according to Statistics Canada data released at a glance on The Lethbridge Herald News And Sports from around Lehtibridge.
Canada's unemployment rate rose to 6.7 percent in February after shedding 84,000 jobs across both services and goods-producing industries, while economists had predicted a gain of 10,000 positions. The youth employment sector was particularly hard hit as the jobless rate climbed from January levels toward its highest point since September 2025 due to significant declines in full-time hiring.