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OTTAWA \u2013 The labour market added an unexpected 60,000 jobs in September, led by gains in the tariff-struck manufacturing sector.<\/p>\n
Statistics Canada said the unemployment rate held steady at 7.1 per cent last month.<\/p>\n
Economists had called for a gain of just 5,000 jobs in September, coming off losses of more than 100,000 positions over the previous two months.<\/p>\n
StatCan said gains were concentrated in full-time work with 106,000 positions added in September, more than offsetting a drop in part-time work.<\/p>\n
The agency said total employment is up a modest 22,000 net jobs since the start of the year as U.S. tariffs continue to put pressure on critical Canadian industries.<\/p>\n
The trade-sensitive manufacturing industry saw its first job gains since January last month and led job growth among other sectors with 28,000 positions added. Before last month, manufacturing had seen a net loss of 58,000 jobs so far in 2025.<\/p>\n
The health care and social assistance sector and agriculture industry were also contributing to job growth last month.<\/p>\n
The wholesale and retail trade industry lost 21,000 positions in September, but StatCan noted the sector is still up by 61,000 positions year-over-year. The transportation and construction sectors were also shedding jobs in September.<\/p>\n
Average hourly wages were up 3.3 per cent year-over-year last month, a tick higher than the rate seen in August.<\/p>\n
The unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 24 rose a tenth of a point to 14.7 per cent in September \u2013 a 15-year high, outside the pandemic years \u2013 as students returning to school continued to struggle finding work after a tough summer jobs market.<\/p>\n
The jobless rate among youth attending school was 17.1 per cent, up 3.1 percentage points from September 2024, StatCan said.<\/p>\n
The September jobs report will mark the Bank of Canada\u2019s last look at the labour market before its next interest rate decision on Oct. 29.<\/p>\n
The central bank cut its policy rate by a quarter point to 2.5 per cent last month as it said the balance of risks in the economy was shifting away from higher prices and toward weaker growth.<\/p>\n
\u00a92025 The Canadian Press<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n