Canada adds surprise 67,000 jobs in October, unemployment rate drops to 6.9%

Statistics Canada says the economy added 67,000 jobs in October, blowing past economists’ labour market expectations for a second month in a row.

Those job gains were concentrated in part-time work while the private sector saw employment grow for the first time since June.

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Tariff-sensitive Ontario led job growth last month with 55,000 positions added, while the wholesale and retail trade sector and the transportation and warehousing industry drove employment gains nationally.

October was also a solid month for Canadian youth looking for work: after months of struggling in a tough labour market, workers aged 15 to 24 gained 21,000 positions in the month, the first increase since January.

Statistics Canada says the national unemployment rate fell two tenths of a percentage point to 6.9 per cent in October.

Economists had expected the labour market would take a breather with a loss of 2,500 jobs in October, coming off another surprise gain of 60,000 positions in September.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2025.