The labour market surprised economists again in November with a third straight month of job gains.
Statistics Canada said Friday that the economy added 54,000 new positions last month compared with economists’ expectations for a small loss.
The unemployment rate fell to 6.5% in November, down from 6.9% in October, marking a second consecutive monthly decline. Statistics Canada said there were 26,000 fewer people in the labour market last month, pushing the jobless rate lower.
The economy added 181,000 jobs from September through November. Before then, labour market activity had been relatively cool since January as employers grappled with U.S. tariff uncertainty.
Most of November’s job gain was concentrated in part-time work, Statistics Canada said. The agency noted the rate of people working part-time on an involuntary basis was little changed from a year ago at 17.9% and sat below the pre-pandemic average of 19.3% for the month.
Youth aged 15 to 24 also drove employment gains last month after coping with a tough labour market to-date in 2025. Statistics Canada said the demographic added 50,000 jobs in November, coming off a gain of 21,000 positions in October – the first months of job gains for youth since the start of the year.
The youth employment rate stood at 55.3% in November, up 1.7 percentage points from the record low recorded in July.
Statistics Canada said that, of those who were unemployed in October, 19.6% secured a job in November. This job-finding rate was up slightly compared to the same months a year ago, which the agency said suggested an easier time finding work.
The health-care and social assistance sector led gains last month with 46,000 positions added, while the food and accommodation and natural resources sectors also added jobs.
Wholesale and retail trade meanwhile led losses, shedding 34,000 positions in November. The trade-sensitive manufacturing industry also lost jobs.
Average hourly wages rose 3.6% in November, a tick higher than in October.
The November job figures mark the final major data release before the Bank of Canada is set to make its final interest rate decision of the year on Wednesday.