Payroll employment, earnings and hours, and job vacancies, August 2026
Released: 2026-10-29
$1,354.55
August 2026
3.7% 
(12-month change)
$1,320.79
August 2026
2.3%
(12-month change)
$1,178.58
August 2026
2.7%
(12-month change)
$1,220.93
August 2026
3.6%
(12-month change)
$1,267.77
August 2026
6.0%
(12-month change)
$1,293.22
August 2026
1.7%
(12-month change)
$1,395.60
August 2026
3.9%
(12-month change)
$1,244.01
August 2026
5.1%
(12-month change)
$1,308.55
August 2026
2.9%
(12-month change)
$1,404.59
August 2026
3.5%
(12-month change)
$1,369.91
August 2026
5.2%
(12-month change)
$1,538.93
August 2026
2.8%
(12-month change)
$1,778.73
August 2026
1.1%
(12-month change)
$1,889.22
August 2026
3.7%
(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—decreased by 49,600 (-0.3%) in August, after edging down by 15,700 (-0.1%) in July. On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment was up by 57,200 (+0.3%) in August.
The number of job vacancies was little changed in August at 507,200, marking the eighth consecutive month of little variation. On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were up by 25,800 (+5.4%).
Chart 1
Payroll employment decreases in August after edging down in July
In August, payroll employment declined in 10 out of 20 sectors, led by public administration (-22,300; -1.6%), accommodation and food services (-6,800; -0.5%), information and cultural industries (-5,000; -1.4%), construction (-4,500; -0.4%), as well as retail trade (-4,400; -0.2%).
Chart 2
Month-over-month payroll employment changes by sector in August
Payroll employment in public administration falls for the second consecutive month in August
Payroll employment in public administration fell by 22,300 (-1.6%) in August, following a decrease of 10,200 (-0.7%) in July. The decrease in August was led by federal government public administration (-15,900; -4.1%) and local, municipal and regional public administration (-5,900; -1.1%).
The cumulative decrease in public administration from June to August was concentrated in federal government public administration, which fell by 23,400 (-6.0%) over the period, following a similar-sized increase from March to June 2026. The latest trends in payroll employment for federal government public administration largely reflect temporary staffing activities related to the 2026 Census.
Accommodation and food services record a payroll employment decline in August
In August, payroll employment in accommodation and food services declined by 6,800 (-0.5%). Before the monthly decline, payroll employment in the sector had increased in three of the previous four months, resulting in a net gain of 10,800 (+0.8%) over that period.
The monthly decline in August was concentrated in full-service restaurants and limited service eating places (-4,600; -0.5%).
Payroll employment in information and cultural industries falls in August
Payroll employment in information and cultural industries fell by 5,000 (-1.4%) in August, following a cumulative increase of 8,800 (+2.5%) from December 2025 to July 2026. The decline in August was led by motion picture and sound recording industries (-2,500; -3.7%) and telecommunications (-1,600; -1.5%).
On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment was up by 2,000 (+0.6%) in the sector in August. Increases led by computing infrastructure providers, data processing, web hosting, and related services (+9,500; +28.8%) and web search portals, libraries, archives, and all other information services (+1,900; +6.8%) were partially offset by declines in telecommunications (-5,800; -5.2%), motion picture and sound recording industries (-1,900; -2.9%) and broadcasting and content providers (-1,200; -3.5%).
Payroll employment in construction decreases in August
Payroll employment in construction fell by 4,500 (-0.4%) in August, following a cumulative increase of 7,500 (+0.6%) from April to July 2026. The monthly decrease in August was concentrated in residential building construction (-1,600; -1.0%), building equipment contractors (-1,300; -0.4%) and building finishing contractors (-1,100; -1.0%). Meanwhile, non-residential building construction was little changed on a month-over-month basis.
On a year-over-year basis, payroll employment in construction was up by 10,700 (+0.9%) in August, with gains concentrated in Alberta (+4,200; +2.1%) and Quebec (+3,400; +1.3%).
Payroll employment in retail trade declines in August
Payroll employment in retail trade decreased by 4,400 (-0.2%) in August, following little net change from May to July and a cumulative increase of 24,000 (+1.2%) recorded from February to May.
In August, the payroll employment decrease in the retail trade sector was driven by food and beverage retailers (-2,600; -0.5%) and clothing, clothing accessories, shoes, jewelry, luggage and leather goods retailers (-1,700; -0.8%).
Average weekly earnings increase on a month-over-month and year-over-year basis
Month over month, average weekly earnings were up 0.5% to $1,355 in August.
Year over year, average weekly earnings were up 3.7% in August, following an increase of 3.2% in July. 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.
In August, average weekly hours worked (33.4 hours) were little changed on a month-over-month basis but were up 0.6% year over year.
Job vacancies little changed in August
The number of job vacancies was little changed in August at 507,200, marking the eighth consecutive month of little variation. On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies were up by 25,800 (+5.4%).
The job vacancy rate—which corresponds to the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand—was 2.8% in August, unchanged since December 2025. Year over year, the job vacancy rate increased by 0.1 percentage points in August 2026.
Infographic 1
Job vacancies hold steady for eight consecutive months
There were 2.9 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in August, unchanged from July, but down from August 2025 (when it was 3.3). The year-over-year decrease in August 2026 was due to both a decrease in unemployment (-130,600; -8.2%) (according to the Labour Force Survey) as well as an increase in job vacancies (+25,500; +5.3%, excluding the territories).
Job vacancies increase in finance and insurance, and decrease in arts, entertainment and recreation and information and cultural industries
In August, job vacancies increased in finance and insurance (+2,900; +16.3%), partially offsetting the cumulative decrease recorded from May to July (-3,900; -18.3%). Meanwhile, job vacancies decreased in arts, entertainment and recreation (-2,000; -21.5%), offsetting the increase recorded from April to July (+1,800; +23.7%). Job vacancies were also down in information and cultural industries in August (-1,600; -20.3%).
On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies in August were up in six sectors, with the largest increases recorded in accommodation and food services (+10,700; +20.0%), transportation and warehousing (+6,900; +29.9%) and manufacturing (+6,100; +18.1%). Job vacancies in accommodation and food services and transportation and warehousing have been on an upward trend following a recent low in August 2025.
Meanwhile, health care and social assistance was the only sector to record a year-over-year decline in job vacancies in August 2026 (-8,300; -8.2%). Job vacancies in this sector have been on a downward trend since January 2024.
In August 2026, accommodation and food services had the highest job vacancy rate of all sectors at 4.7%, maintaining its position as the sector with the highest vacancy rate since November 2025. At the same time, educational services and utilities both recorded the lowest job vacancy rates in August 2026, at 1.1%.
Chart 3
Year over year, job vacancies up in six sectors, led by accommodation and food services
Job vacancies increase in Quebec
In August, job vacancies were up in Quebec (+8,000; +7.2%). This increase largely offset the decrease recorded in the previous month (-6,900; -5.9%). This was the first significant month-to-month increase in vacancies in Quebec since January 2024.
Year over year, job vacancies increased in Alberta (+11,400; +19.7%), Quebec (+10,200; +9.3%) and Manitoba (+4,400; +27.1%) in August 2026. Meanwhile, job vacancies decreased in New Brunswick (-1,500; -14.8%) and Nunavut (-300; -42.1%).
From August 2025 to August 2026, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio decreased in Alberta (-1.1 to 2.8), Manitoba (-0.9 to 1.9), Ontario (-0.4 to 3.6) and Quebec (-0.4 to 2.3). The only province to record an increase was Saskatchewan (+0.4 to 2.4).
Map 1
Year over year, the unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio decreased in four provinces, led by Alberta
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 November 16, 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
September 2026 data for SEPH and JVWS will be released on November 26, 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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