Ontario Jobs Report
Last updated April 15, 2026 · Data for Mar 2026 · Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey(opens in new tab)
In Mar 2026, 8.2M people were employed in Ontario, with an unemployment rate of 7.6%. That is 5.8K fewer jobs than Feb 2026. Over the past year, Ontario has shed 16.1K jobs since Mar 2025.
The services sector accounts for 81% of all employment, with health care, retail, and professional services leading the way. The goods-producing sector, including manufacturing and construction, makes up the remaining 19%. About 83% of jobs are full-time positions.
All figures are seasonally adjusted. The Labour Force Survey is conducted monthly and results are released on the first Friday following the reference week. Ontario's labour force participation rate stands at 64.6%.
Employment
8.2M
-5.8K vs Feb 2026
Unemployment Rate
7.6%
+0.0 pp vs Feb 2026
Participation Rate
64.6%
+0.0 pp vs Feb 2026
Full-Time Share
82.5%
6.8M full-time jobs
Employment trends
How Ontario's labour market has moved over the past 36 months
Ontario's unemployment rate has hovered between 6% and 8% over the past two years, rising from around 5% in early 2023 as population growth outpaced job creation. Employment has grown steadily in absolute terms, crossing 8.2 million in late 2024, but the rate of growth has not kept pace with the expanding labour force.
Employment Trend
Total employment in Ontario (seasonally adjusted, in thousands)
Employment trend data for Ontario (seasonally adjusted, in thousands):
- Apr 2023: 7992.2K
- May 2023: 7981.3K
- Jun 2023: 8029.9K
- Jul 2023: 8037.7K
- Aug 2023: 8052.4K
- Sep 2023: 8067.1K
- Oct 2023: 8055.4K
- Nov 2023: 8063.9K
- Dec 2023: 8038.2K
- Jan 2024: 8051.0K
- Feb 2024: 8054.6K
- Mar 2024: 8092.5K
- Apr 2024: 8114.1K
- May 2024: 8152.5K
- Jun 2024: 8155.4K
- Jul 2024: 8175.1K
- Aug 2024: 8170.3K
- Sep 2024: 8203.1K
- Oct 2024: 8180.2K
- Nov 2024: 8172.9K
- Dec 2024: 8210.0K
- Jan 2025: 8234.2K
- Feb 2025: 8245.7K
- Mar 2025: 8221.6K
- Apr 2025: 8193.6K
- May 2025: 8198.1K
- Jun 2025: 8208.3K
- Jul 2025: 8216.3K
- Aug 2025: 8190.3K
- Sep 2025: 8200.2K
- Oct 2025: 8252.5K
- Nov 2025: 8256.4K
- Dec 2025: 8274.5K
- Jan 2026: 8208.0K
- Feb 2026: 8211.3K
- Mar 2026: 8205.5K
Unemployment Rate
Ontario unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted)
Unemployment rate trend for Ontario (seasonally adjusted):
- Apr 2023: 5.0%
- May 2023: 5.5%
- Jun 2023: 5.6%
- Jul 2023: 5.6%
- Aug 2023: 5.8%
- Sep 2023: 5.8%
- Oct 2023: 6.2%
- Nov 2023: 6.1%
- Dec 2023: 6.2%
- Jan 2024: 6.1%
- Feb 2024: 6.6%
- Mar 2024: 6.8%
- Apr 2024: 6.8%
- May 2024: 6.7%
- Jun 2024: 7.0%
- Jul 2024: 6.8%
- Aug 2024: 7.2%
- Sep 2024: 7.0%
- Oct 2024: 7.1%
- Nov 2024: 7.8%
- Dec 2024: 7.5%
- Jan 2025: 7.6%
- Feb 2025: 7.4%
- Mar 2025: 7.5%
- Apr 2025: 7.8%
- May 2025: 7.9%
- Jun 2025: 7.8%
- Jul 2025: 7.8%
- Aug 2025: 7.7%
- Sep 2025: 7.9%
- Oct 2025: 7.6%
- Nov 2025: 7.4%
- Dec 2025: 7.9%
- Jan 2026: 7.3%
- Feb 2026: 7.6%
- Mar 2026: 7.6%
Where Ontarians work
Mar 2026 employment by industry, seasonally adjusted
Ontario's 6.7M-strong services sector dwarfs the 1.6M in goods-producing industries. Wholesale and retail trade is the single largest employer, followed by health care and professional services. Manufacturing, once the backbone of Ontario's economy, now accounts for about 10% of sub-industry employment.
13.8% of employment. -1.3% vs prior month.
12.6% of employment. +0.6% vs prior month.
11.0% of employment. +1.1% vs prior month.
9.7% of employment. -0.0% vs prior month.
8.8% of employment. +0.9% vs prior month.
7.0% of employment. -0.1% vs prior month.
37.1% of employment. Educational services, Public administration, Transportation and warehousing, Accommodation and food services, Information, culture and recreation, Other services (except public administration), Business, building and other support services, Utilities, Agriculture, Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas.
Who's working
Demographic breakdown of Ontario's labour force, Mar 2026
Core-age workers (25 to 54) make up the bulk of Ontario's employed population at 5455.4K, with an unemployment rate of 6.6%. Youth unemployment (ages 15 to 24) runs more than double the overall rate at 17.0%, a persistent gap that reflects higher turnover and the difficulty of entering the job market. Male unemployment (7.9%) is running slightly above the female rate (7.3%).
By age group
Seasonally adjusted
By gender
Seasonally adjusted
Full-time vs part-time
Month by month
The last 12 months of Ontario labour market data
The table below shows the key indicators for each month. The most recent month is highlighted. Employment figures are in thousands; rates are percentages.