Labour market report, November 2025

Quick facts

In November 2025:

• There were 13.7 million people in Ontario aged 15 years or older:
  • 8.9 million (64.8%) were in the labour force. The labour force decreased by 19,900 (-0.2%) in November compared to October.
  • 8.3 million (60.1%) were employed, little changed (6,100, or 0.1%) from October.
• Ontario's unemployment rate decreased to 7.3% in November from 7.6% in October and 653,800 people were unemployed, down by 26,000 (-3.8%) from October.

Employment was little changed in November

Employment in Ontario was little changed (6,100 or 0.1%) in November, after increasing (54,500 or 0.7%) in October. A total of 8,260,400 people were employed in Ontario in November.

Employment in Canada increased by 53,600 (0.3%) in November, after increasing by 66,600 (0.3%) in October. A total of 21,135,500 people were employed in Canada in November.

Chart 1 shows employment in Ontario from January 2016 to November 2025.

Full-time vs. part-time

Full-time employment decreased by 6,900 (-0.1%) in November, while part-time employment increased by 13,000 (0.9%).

Employment change by sex and age

Employment for men increased by 12,600 (0.3%) in November, after increasing by 31,800 (0.7%) in October. Total male employment was 4,371,500 in November. Employment for women decreased by 6,500 (-0.2%) in November, after increasing by 22,700 (0.6%) in October. Total female employment was 3,888,900 in November.

Youth (aged 15 to 24) employment increased by 7,600 (0.7%) in November for a total of 1,056,900, after increasing by 18,800 (1.8%) in October. Employment for people aged 25 to 54 decreased by 17,400 (-0.3%) in November to 5,467,100, after increasing by 30,900 (0.6%) in October. Employment for those aged 55 and older increased by 15,900 (0.9%) in November to 1,736,400, after increasing by 4,800 (0.3%) in October.

Employment change by industry

Ontario’s largest industry groups by employment in November were wholesale and retail trade (1,149,800 or 13.9% of total employment), health care and social assistance (1,029,200 or 12.5%), professional, scientific and technical services (917,200 or 11.1%) and manufacturing (822,100 or 10.0%).

Notable job gains in November included health care and social assistance (17,300 or 1.7%), information, culture and recreation (11,500 or 3.2%), transportation and warehousing (10,100 or 2.3%).

Wholesale and retail trade (-20,400 or -1.7%), accommodation and food services (-12,200 or -2.7%) and educational services (-9,900 or -1.7%) led job losses in November.

Chart 2 shows industries by employment change in Ontario, October 2025 to November 2025.

Employment change by occupation

Ontario’s largest occupational groups by employment in November were sales and service (1,686,200 or 20.4% of total employment), business, finance and administration (1,383,600 or 16.8%), trades, transport and equipment operators (1,119,200 or 13.6%) and occupations in education, law and social, community and government services (987,600 or 12.0%).

Five of the ten major occupational groups in Ontario had net employment gains in the first eleven months of 2025 when compared to the same period in 2024. Sales and service occupations (53,900 or 3.2%) led job gains, followed by natural and applied sciences and related occupations (40,400 or 5.0%) and health occupations (37,800 or 6.4%).

Notable employment losses were recorded in trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations (-32,900 or -2.9%), management occupations (-32,200 or -3.6%) and occupations in manufacturing and utilities (-21,700 or -5.5%).

Chart 3 shows occupations by annual employment change in Ontario, November 2024 to November 2025.

Employment change in urban centres

In November 2025, employment in eleven of the sixteen Ontario Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) was above their November 2024 levels, led by Toronto (60,500 or 1.6%) and followed by Oshawa (18,700 or 7.7%), Belleville – Quinte West (16,000 or 38.4%) and London (10,900 or 3.4%).

Notable employment losses in November were recorded in Ottawa (-35,800 or -4.0%), St. Catharines-Niagara (-4,300 or -1.8%) and Guelph (-2,400 or -2.4%).

Chart 4 shows employment change for Ontario Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) from November 2024 to November 2025.

Unemployment rate decreased to 7.3%

Ontario’s unemployment rate decreased to 7.3% in November from 7.6% in October. The provincial unemployment rate has increased significantly since falling to a near-record low in April 2023 (5.0%).

The Canadian unemployment rate decreased to 6.5% in November from 6.9% in October. The national unemployment rate has increased significantly since March 2023 (5.0%).

Chart 5 shows unemployment rates, Ontario and Canada, January 2016 to November 2025.

Unemployment rate by sex, age, visible minority status, immigrant status and Indigenous group

The unemployment rate for women decreased to 7.4% in November from 7.6% in October. The rate for men decreased to 7.3% in November from 7.6% in October.

For youth aged 15 to 24, the unemployment rate decreased to 15.3% in November from 16.3% in October. The unemployment rate for individuals aged 25 to 54 decreased to 6.3% in November from 6.5% in October. The unemployment rate for those aged 55 and older decreased to 5.1% in November from 5.3% in October.

In Ontario, the unemployment rate among population groups designated as visible minorities was estimated at 8.8% in November compared to a 6.0% rate for those who are not visible minorities and did not identify as Indigenous (data are three-month moving averages and are not adjusted for seasonality).

The unemployment rate for landed immigrants was 7.6% in November compared to a 6.7% rate for the Canadian-born population in Ontario. The unemployment rate for landed immigrants includes the rates for very recent immigrants (i.e., immigrants who landed less than 5 years earlier) (10.7%), recent immigrants (i.e., immigrants who landed more than 5 to 10 years earlier) (8.3%) and established immigrants (i.e., immigrants who landed more than 10 years earlier) (6.6%) (data are three-month moving averages and are not adjusted for seasonality).

In Ontario, the unemployment rate for the Indigenous population was estimated at 10.9% in November compared to a 7.1% rate for the non-Indigenous population. The unemployment rate for the Indigenous population includes the rates for First Nations people living off reserve (10.6%) and individuals who identify as Métis (11.5%) (data are three-month moving averages and are not adjusted for seasonality).

Unemployment rate by urban centre

In November, the average unemployment rate increased from October in five of the sixteen Ontario Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs). The largest increases were seen in Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (7.3% in October to 7.8% in November), London (6.5% to 7.0%), Peterborough (5.7% to 6.0%), Hamilton (7.0 to 7.3%), and Oshawa (8.5% to 8.6%).

Nine CMAs had average unemployment rates that decreased in November, led by Winsor (9.6% in October to 8.1% in November), Brantford (9.9% to 9.0%), St. Catharines-Niagara (7.2% to 6.6%) and Kingston (6.1% to 5.6%).

The average unemployment rate was unchanged in Greater Sudbury (6.6%), Belleville - Quinte West (8.8%) and Ottawa-Gatineau (7.4%) in November.

Chart 6 shows the average unemployment rate for Ontario Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) in November 2025.

Long-term unemployment

In November, an estimated 185,000 Ontarians or 28.3% of all unemployed people were unemployed for 27 weeks or longer (long-term unemployed). This compared to 185,400 Ontarians or 27.3% of all unemployed people in October and 176,400 or 25.9% of all unemployed people a year earlier in November 2024.

The average time in unemployment was 24.4 weeks in November, above the average in October (23.8 weeks) and well above the average in November 2024 (21.4 weeks).

Chart 7 shows Ontario’s long-term unemployment (27 weeks or more) as a percentage of total unemployment, January 2016 to November 2025.

Average hourly wages by sex, age and industry

The average hourly wage rate in Ontario for employees was $38.48 in November, above the average rate across Canada ($37.00). Ontario’s average hourly wage rate in November rose by 2.8% on a year-over-year basis (by $1.06 from $37.42 in November 2024) which was below the 3.2% increase from October.

November’s wage growth (2.8%) was well above the growth seen in the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI) as of October (1.8%). The CPI is a measure of inflation that represents changes in prices for goods and services as experienced by consumers.

Chart 8 shows the year-over-year percentage change in Ontario’s average hourly wage rate and the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI), January 2016 to November 2025.

The average hourly wage rate was $36.42 for women in November, increasing by 5.3% ($1.83) from $37.42 in November 2024. For men, the average hourly wage rate was $40.45, an increase of 0.8% ($0.32) from $40.13 a year earlier.

For youth aged 15 to 24, the average hourly wage rate was $22.61 in November, an increase of 3.6% ($0.79) from the hourly wage rate in November 2024. The average hourly wage rate for individuals aged 25 to 54 rose to $41.00 in November, up 1.9% ($0.76) from $40.24 a year earlier. The average hourly wage rate for those aged 55 and older increased by 2.8% ($1.06) to $41.08 in November from $38.82 a year earlier.

In November, the industries with the largest increases in average hourly wage rates compared to a year earlier were:

1. Business, building and other support services: +10.6% ($2.90) to $30.27
2. Educational services: +8.8% ($3.70) to $45.88
3. Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing: +5.2% ($2.40) to $49.00

Only three industries experienced a decrease in their average hourly wage rate in November compared to a year earlier:

1. Transportation and warehousing: -8.8% (-$3.12) to $32.43
2. Other services (except public administration): -1.0% (-$0.33) to $31.97
3. Utilities: -0.4% (-$0.26) to $61.52

Changes in average hourly wages by industry are the result of multiple factors, including wage growth and shifts in the composition of employment by job tenure and occupation.

Download data

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey

November 2025 Labour Market Report:

• CSV, Chart 1, employment in Ontario from January 2016 to November 2025, 1Kb
• CSV, Chart 2, industries with highest and lowest employment change in Ontario, October 2025 to November 2025, 2Kb
• CSV, Chart 3, employment change for occupations in Ontario from November 2024 to November 2025, 2Kb
• CSV, Chart 4, employment change for Ontario Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) from November 2024 to November 2025, 2Kb
• CSV, Chart 5, unemployment rates, Ontario and Canada, January 2016 to November 2025, 2Kb
• CSV, Chart 6, average unemployment rates for Ontario Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs), November 2025, 2Kb
• CSV, Chart 7, Ontario’s long-term unemployed (27 weeks or more) as a percentage of total unemployment, January 2016 to November 2025, 2Kb
• CSV, Chart 8, year-over-year percentage change in Ontario’s average hourly wage rate and the Ontario Consumer Price Index (CPI), January 2016 to November 2025, 2Kb