Employment in Newfoundland and Labrador was 237,100 persons in February 2026, an increase of 3,500 persons, or 1.5%, compared with February 2025. Actual hours worked decreased by 0.6%. The level of unemployment decreased by 3,200 persons, or 10.1%, and the unemployment rate decreased by 1.2 percentage points to 10.7%. This rate marks an all-time low for the province for the month of February.
The labour force in Newfoundland and Labrador was 265,600 in February 2026. This was an increase of 300 persons, or 0.1%, compared with February 2025, and was due to an increase in the source population. The source population increased by 3,100 persons, or 0.7%, while the participation rate decreased by 0.3 percentage points to 56.1%.
There was an increase in part-time employment (+3,400 persons or 9.3%) and full-time employment (+100 persons or 0.1%) in February 2026 compared with February 2025. On a gender basis, employment increased by 2,600 persons for the ‘Men+’ category (+2.3%) and increased by 900 persons for the ‘Women+’ category (+0.8%).
On an industry basis, employment in the services-producing sector increased by 5,700 persons (+3.0%) in February 2026, while employment in the goods-producing sector decreased by 2,100 persons (-5.0%). Within the services-producing sector, the largest employment gains were recorded in ‘Accommodation and food services’ (+3,400 persons), ‘Health care and social assistance’ (+2,300 persons), and ‘Other services’ (+1,200 persons). The largest employment decline was recorded in ‘Educational services’ (-1,900 persons). Within the goods-producing sector, the largest employment declines were recorded in ‘Construction’ (‑900 persons), ‘Manufacturing’ (-600 persons) and ‘Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas’ (-500 persons). There were no employment gains among other major categories within the goods-producing industries.
Employment increased in seven provinces in February 2026 compared to February 2025, with gains ranging from 0.4% in Nova Scotia to 3.5% in Alberta. Employment declined in Quebec (-0.7%), Ontario (-0.7%) and British Columbia (-0.6%).
On a year-to-date basis, employment in the province averaged 235,900 in the January to February 2026 period, an increase of 1.8% compared with the same period in 2025. There was an increase in year-to-date employment across seven provinces over the same period, ranging from 0.1% in Nova Scotia to 3.5% in Alberta. Year-to-date employment increased by 0.3% for Canada. The unemployment rate in Newfoundland and Labrador averaged 10.8% on a year-to-date basis, a decrease of 1.7 percentage points compared to the January to February 2025 period.
| Labour Force Characteristics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | ||||||
|
Indicator
|
Feb 2025
|
Feb 2026
|
Change
|
Jan-Feb 2025
|
Jan-Feb 2026
|
Change
|
| Labour Force (000s) | 265.3 | 265.6 | 0.1% | 264.8 | 264.5 | -0.1% |
| Employment (000s) | 233.6 | 237.1 | 1.5% | 231.7 | 235.9 | 1.8% |
| Unemployment (000s) | 31.7 | 28.5 | -10.1% | 33.1 | 28.6 | -13.6% |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 11.9 | 10.7 | -1.2 ppts | 12.5 | 10.8 | -1.7 ppts |
| Participation Rate (%) | 56.4 | 56.1 | -0.3 ppts | 56.4 | 55.9 | -0.5 ppts |
| Employment Rate (%) | 49.7 | 50.1 | 0.4 ppts | 49.3 | 49.9 | 0.5 ppts |
| ppts: percentage point change Percent and actual changes based on unrounded monthly averages Source: Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey; Economics Division, Department of Finance |
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Glossary terms:
Labour Force | Employed | Unemployed | Unemployment Rate | Participation Rate | Employment Rate
Statistical Reference: Statistics used in this analysis were current at the time of writing. For the latest in employment statistics visit the Newfoundland & Labrador Statistics Agency site and the release dates on the Statistics Canada site.