Payroll Employment Drops in March as Average Weekly Earnings Rise

Payroll employment in Canada fell by 54,100 jobs, or 0.3%, in March 2025, according to Statistics Canada’s Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours. This follows a decrease of 40,200 jobs in February. Statistics Canada also reported that average weekly earnings in March were $1,290.80, an increase of 4.3% compared with March 2024.

Statistics Canada stated that this was the second consecutive month of declining payroll employment, while average weekly earnings continued to rise compared to the previous year. The survey data are based on seasonally adjusted administrative payroll records.

Statistics Canada reported that monthly payroll employment decreased in 10 out of 20 sectors in March. The largest declines were recorded in educational services (-10,400; -0.7%), health care and social assistance (-9,500; -0.4%), accommodation and food services (-8,400; -0.7%), retail trade (-8,400; -0.4%), wholesale trade (-4,200; -0.5%), and construction (-4,000; -0.3%). Job gains were reported in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (+2,500; +1.1%), arts, entertainment and recreation (+1,800; +0.5%), and management of companies and enterprises (+900; +0.7%). The other seven sectors saw little change.

According to Statistics Canada, average weekly earnings in March 2025 varied across provinces and territories. Nunavut had the highest average at $1,743.94, and Prince Edward Island had the lowest at $1,088.96. Ontario’s average weekly earnings were $1,327.20, an increase of 4.5% over the previous year. Other reported figures include Newfoundland and Labrador ($1,274.94), Nova Scotia ($1,134.34), New Brunswick ($1,156.30), Quebec ($1,244.05), Manitoba ($1,154.95), Saskatchewan ($1,253.20), Alberta ($1,348.13), British Columbia ($1,306.10), Yukon ($1,487.23), and Northwest Territories ($1,686.89).

Statistics Canada recorded 529,700 job vacancies in March, marking the seventh month of little change. The job vacancy rate stood at 3.0%, up 0.1 percentage points from February but down 0.4 percentage points from March 2024. Alberta’s job vacancies rose by 7,500 to 69,800, while Manitoba’s vacancies fell by 3,700 to 18,400. The highest vacancy rate was in British Columbia at 3.5%; the lowest was in Ontario at 2.7%.

Year-over-year, job vacancies decreased by 72,800, or 12.1%, according to Statistics Canada. There were 2.9 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in March, up from 2.2 the previous year. Statistics Canada attributed this change to a reduction in vacancies and an increase of 166,500 unemployed persons (+12.4%). During this period, the national unemployment rate increased from 6.1% to 6.7%, based on the Labour Force Survey.

Statistics Canada reported that job vacancies decreased on a year-over-year basis in 11 of 20 sectors. The largest declines were in health care and social assistance (-17,600; -14.4%), retail trade (-11,500; -19.3%), and transportation and warehousing (-8,200; -23.0%). The only sectors with increases in year-over-year vacancies were finance and insurance (+2,700; +13.7%) and public administration (+1,500; +11.9%).

In construction, Statistics Canada reported a monthly payroll employment decline of 4,000 jobs in March, the third straight monthly decrease. Specialty trade contractors experienced the largest cumulative decline among construction subsectors from January to March, with a reduction of 10,200 jobs (-1.4%). Payroll employment in accommodation and food services also fell for the third consecutive month. Compared with March 2024, payroll employment in this sector dropped by 20,800 jobs, or 1.6%.

According to Statistics Canada, the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours measures the number of employees receiving pay and benefits, excluding self-employed individuals, owners and partners of unincorporated businesses, and agricultural employees. The Labour Force Survey is used as the official source for unemployment rate data.