Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, July 2026
Released: 2026-09-24
$1,347.14
July 2026
3.2% 
(12-month change)
$1,317.98
July 2026
1.7%
(12-month change)
$1,207.99
July 2026
4.1%
(12-month change)
$1,228.91
July 2026
5.6%
(12-month change)
$1,261.88
July 2026
5.3%
(12-month change)
$1,279.96
July 2026
1.9%
(12-month change)
$1,391.19
July 2026
3.6%
(12-month change)
$1,217.11
July 2026
3.1%
(12-month change)
$1,325.24
July 2026
4.4%
(12-month change)
$1,399.61
July 2026
2.5%
(12-month change)
$1,356.78
July 2026
4.4%
(12-month change)
$1,504.26
July 2026
1.1%
(12-month change)
$1,821.38
July 2026
4.8%
(12-month change)
$1,844.70
July 2026
2.3%
(12-month change)
The number of employees receiving pay and benefits from their employer—measured as "payroll employment" in the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours—was up by 26,100 (+0.1%) in July, following three consecutive increases from March to June, totalling 124,200 (+0.7%). On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment was up 171,900 (+0.9%) in July.
Meanwhile, there were 501,000 job vacancies in Canada in July, marking a seventh consecutive month of little variation. On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were also little changed.
Chart 1
Payroll employment increases in July, continuing the upward trend since April
In July, payroll employment gains were recorded in 8 out of 20 sectors, led by retail trade (+3,900; +0.2%), accommodation and food services (+3,600; +0.3%), professional, scientific and technical services (+2,500; +0.2%) as well as real estate and rental and leasing (+2,300; +0.8%). These gains were partially offset by declines in public administration (-5,700; -0.4%) and wholesale trade (-4,100; -0.5%).
Chart 2
Payroll employment changes by sector month over month in July
Payroll employment increases in retail trade
In July, payroll employment in retail trade increased by 3,900 (+0.2%), offsetting the decrease in June (-2,600; -0.1%).
From February to July, payroll employment in this sector generally trended up, with an overall increase of 25,300 (+1.3%). Over this period, the increase in retail trade was led by clothing, clothing accessories, shoes, jewelry, luggage and leather goods retailers (+5,800; +2.9%), motor vehicle and parts dealers (+5,200; +2.3%), general merchandise retailers (+4,500; +1.7%) as well as food and beverage retailers (+3,500; +0.7%).
Accommodation and food services records a payroll employment increase in July
Payroll employment in accommodation and food services increased by 3,600 (+0.3%) in July, offsetting the decrease in June (-2,300; -0.2%).
In July, the monthly increase in this sector was led by special food services (+1,600; +2.1%)—which include food service contractors, caterers and mobile food services—and full-service restaurants and limited-service eating places (+1,000; +0.1%).
On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in this sector was up by 7,700 (+0.6%) in July.
Payroll employment in professional, scientific and technical services continues to increase in July
Payroll employment in professional, scientific and technical services increased in July (+2,500; +0.2%) for the second consecutive month, bringing the cumulative gain to 4,700 (+0.4%) from May to July.
The two-month increase in payroll employment was concentrated in accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services (+2,300; +1.6%), architectural, engineering and related services (+2,000; +0.8%) and management, scientific and technical consulting services (+1,300; +1.1%). These gains were partially offset by a decrease in computer systems design and related services (-2,000; -0.5%).
Payroll employment in public administration falls in July following four consecutive monthly increases
Payroll employment in public administration fell by 5,700 (-0.4%) in July, following four consecutive months of gains totalling 39,500 (+3.0%).
The July decrease was concentrated in federal government public administration (-6,400; -1.6%), which had previously increased by 23,400 (+6.4%) from March to June 2026. The latest movements in payroll employment for federal government public administration largely reflect temporary staffing activities related to the 2026 Census.
Wholesale trade records payroll employment decline in July
Payroll employment in wholesale trade fell by 4,100 (-0.5%) in July following a decrease of 1,700 (-0.2%) in June. The decline in July was led by machinery, equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers (-1,700; -0.7%) and food, beverage and tobacco merchant wholesalers (-900; -0.8%).
Compared with a peak recorded in August 2024, payroll employment in wholesale trade was down by 15,400 (-1.9%) in July 2026. Over this period, declines were led by machinery, equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers (-6,900; -2.9%), building material and supplies merchant wholesalers (-2,200; -1.5%) as well as personal and household goods merchant wholesalers (-1,800; -1.8%).
Average weekly earnings increase on a year-over-year basis
In July, average weekly earnings ($1,347) were up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. This follows an increase of 3.4% in June. In general, growth in average weekly earnings can reflect a range of factors, including changes in wages, composition of employment, hours worked and base-year effects.
Month over month, average weekly earnings were little changed in July.
In July, average weekly hours worked (33.4 hours) were little changed on a month-over-month basis but were up 0.3% year over year.
Job vacancies little changed in July
There were 501,000 job vacancies in Canada in July, marking a seventh consecutive month of little variation. On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were also little changed.
The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—was 2.8% in July, unchanged from the previous month and from July 2025. Since April 2025, the job vacancy rate has consistently remained within a narrow range of 2.7% to 2.8%.
There were 2.9 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in July 2026, unchanged from June. On a year-over-year basis, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio was down by 0.3 in July, mostly reflecting a decrease in the number of unemployed persons (-105,200; -6.7%) (according to the Labour Force Survey). Over the same period, the unemployment rate fell from 6.9% to 6.4%.
Infographic 1
The job vacancy rate shows little variation since April 2025
Job vacancies down in construction as well as in real estate and rental and leasing in July
In July, the number of job vacancies in construction fell by 4,000 (-10.4%), following little change in June and an increase of 6,300 (+19.3%) in May. The number of vacancies also fell in real estate and rental and leasing (-1,500; -20.9%) in July, offsetting most of the increase recorded in May (+1,700; +27.8%). Job vacancies were little changed in the remaining sectors in July.
On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were up in July in accommodation and food services (+7,400; +13.5%), manufacturing (+7,300; +22.1%), administrative and support, waste management and remediation services (+3,800; +14.6%) and mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction (+1,900; +46.6%). Meanwhile, job vacancies were down year over year in retail trade (-5,500; -10.0%) and real estate and rental and leasing (-1,300; -18.5%).
Chart 3
Year-over-year job vacancies in July up in four sectors and down in two
In July, the highest job vacancy rates were in accommodation and food services (4.6%), other services (except public administration) (3.8%) and administrative and support, waste management and remediation services (3.5%). Meanwhile, the lowest job vacancy rates were in educational services (1.2%), utilities (1.3%) and management of companies and enterprises (1.7%).
Job vacancies increase in Alberta and Manitoba, decrease in Ontario and Quebec
In July, increases in job vacancies were recorded in Alberta (+7,700 to 73,100) and Manitoba (+2,200 to 20,900). The increase in Alberta brought the level of vacancies in the province to its highest level since September 2024. In contrast, job vacancies were down in Ontario (-10,700 to 170,800) and Quebec (-8,000 to 109,200) in July 2026.
Year over year, job vacancies were up in Alberta (+7,900; +12.0%) and Manitoba (+2,800; +15.2%) in July, while they were down in Nova Scotia (-1,800; -11.8%).
Year over year, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio was down in Newfoundland and Labrador (-1.8 to 5.8), Alberta (-0.6 to 2.8), Manitoba (-0.5 to 1.9) and Ontario (-0.5 to 3.5). In July, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio was the highest in Newfoundland and Labrador (5.8) and the lowest in Manitoba (1.9).
Map 1
Job vacancy rate and unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio by province
Sustainable Development Goals
On January 1, 2016, the world officially began implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development—the United Nations' transformative plan of action that addresses urgent global challenges over the next 15 years. The plan is based on 17 specific sustainable development goals.
The Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours is an example of how Statistics Canada supports the reporting on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. This release will be used in helping to measure the following goals:
Note to readers
Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours
The key objective of the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH) is to provide a monthly portrait of the level of earnings, employment and hours worked, by detailed industry, at the national, provincial and territorial levels.
Payroll employment, as measured by the SEPH, refers to the number of employees receiving pay and benefits (employment income) during a given month. The survey excludes the self-employed, owners and partners of unincorporated businesses and professional practices, and employees in the agricultural sector.
SEPH estimates are produced by integrating information from three sources: a census of approximately 1 million payroll deduction records provided by the Canada Revenue Agency; the Business Payrolls Survey, which collects data from a sample of 15,000 establishments; and administrative records of federal, provincial and territorial public administration employment, provided by these levels of government.
Estimates of average weekly earnings and hours worked are based on a sample and are therefore subject to sampling variability. This analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 68% confidence level. Payroll employment estimates are based on a census of administrative data and are not subject to sampling variability.
With each release of SEPH data, data for the preceding month are revised. Users are encouraged to use the most up-to-date data available for each month.
Statistics Canada also produces employment estimates from its Labour Force Survey (LFS). The LFS is a monthly household survey, the main objective of which is to divide the working-age population into three mutually exclusive groups: the employed (including the self-employed), the unemployed and those not in the labour force. This survey is the official source for the unemployment rate, and it collects data on the sociodemographic characteristics of all people in the labour market.
Employment trends from the SEPH and from the LFS generally track each other closely, especially over longer periods of time. That said, because of differences in concepts, definitions and methodologies, variations in employment levels in SEPH and in the LFS may differ, especially over shorter periods. For a more in-depth discussion of the conceptual differences between employment measures from the LFS and the SEPH, refer to Section 8 of the Guide to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (72-203-G) and the recently published report, Monitoring employment trends using the Labour Force Survey and the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours. This report provides information on interpreting employment data from the LFS and SEPH as well as key considerations when comparing results from the two programs.
The SEPH and LFS also provide monthly indicators of pay received by employees. Used together, average weekly earnings (from SEPH) and average hourly wages (from the LFS) can provide a comprehensive portrait of pay dynamics in Canada. For information on definitions for each indicator, key conceptual and measurement differences, and guidance to data users on when to use each indicator, refer to the report "Earnings and Wages – A guide to using indicators from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours and the Labour Force Survey."
Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted data, which facilitate comparisons because the effects of seasonal variations are removed. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonal adjustment: Concepts and interpretation, 2026.
Non-farm payroll employment data are for all hourly and salaried employees and for the "other employees" category, which includes piece-rate and commission-only employees.
Unless otherwise specified, average weekly hours data are for hourly and salaried employees only and exclude businesses that could not be classified to a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2022 version 1.0 code.
All earnings data include overtime and exclude businesses that could not be classified to a NAICS code. Earnings data are based on gross taxable payroll before source deductions. Average weekly earnings are derived by dividing total weekly earnings by the number of employees. Changes in average weekly earnings can reflect a range of factors, including changes in wages, composition of employment, hours worked and base-year effects.
The base-year effect refers to the impact that trends from 12 months earlier (the base month) have on the current month's estimate of year-over-year change. In the case of SEPH, when the average weekly earnings in the base month is at the peak of a short-term trend, this tends to have a downward effect on year-over-year average weekly earnings growth in the current month. In contrast, if the value of the base month is at a low point of a trend, this tends to have an upward effect on the current month's year-over-year growth in average weekly earnings.
Job Vacancy and Wage Survey
The Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (JVWS) collection is done on a quarterly basis. The quarterly sample of business locations is allocated to the three collection months of the quarter, approximately balanced by province and by industrial sector across each of the three months. This allows both quarterly and monthly estimates to be produced.
Preliminary monthly estimates are produced for job vacancies, job vacancy rates and payroll employment using available responses from business locations sampled in the corresponding reference month. The reference period for the JVWS is the first day of the respective month. This analysis focuses on differences between estimates that are statistically significant at the 68% confidence level.
These preliminary monthly estimates are revised and finalized when the corresponding quarterly estimates are released or shortly thereafter. Users are encouraged to use the most up-to-date data available for each month.
Unless otherwise stated, this release presents seasonally adjusted data, which facilitate comparisons because the effects of seasonal variations are removed. For more information on seasonal adjustment, see Seasonal adjustment: Concepts and interpretation, 2026.
While JVWS employment is calibrated to the SEPH, SEPH payroll employment and JVWS preliminary monthly employment figures may differ because of calibration grouping and differences in scope and reference period.
The unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio excludes the territories for consistency with the geographic coverage of the comparable LFS data (table 14-10-0287-01).
The JVWS also provides comprehensive quarterly data on job vacancies by industrial sector and detailed occupation for Canada and the provinces, territories and economic regions; offered hourly wages; and job vacancy characteristics. More information about the concepts and use of data from the JVWS is available in the Guide to the Job Vacancy and Wage Survey (75-514-G).
Real-time data tables
Tables 14-10-0357-01 and 14-10-0358-01 have now been archived.
Real-time data tables 14-10-0331-01 and 14-10-0332-01 will be updated on October 13, 2026.
New data table on monthly payroll employment for agriculture and support activities
A new data table (14-10-0481) presenting the number of payroll employees in the agriculture and support activities industries is now available on the Statistics Canada website. This new monthly table includes all industries primarily engaged in crop production, animal production and aquaculture, and their respective support activities since January 2025.
To classify employment data by industry, the SEPH program uses industry codes assigned to businesses based on their main revenue-generating activity, using the NAICS. The population covered in this new SEPH data table includes crop production (NAICS 111), support activities for crop production (NAICS 1151), animal production and aquaculture (NAICS 112), and support activities for animal production (NAICS 1152). It is important to note that these agriculture-related industries are excluded from the total SEPH employment counts presented in table 14-10-0201-01.
Next release
August 2026 data for SEPH and JVWS will be released on October 29, 2026.
Products
More information about the concepts and use of the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours is available in the Guide to the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (72-203-G).
The product "Earnings and payroll employment in brief: Interactive app" (14200001) is now available. This interactive data visualization application provides a comprehensive picture of the Canadian labour market using the most recent data from the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours. The estimates are seasonally adjusted and available by province and largest industrial sector. Historical estimates that go back 10 years are also included. The interactive application allows users to explore and personalize the information presented quickly and easily. Combine multiple provinces and industrial sectors to create your own labour market domains of interest.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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