Employment in Newfoundland and Labrador was 237,600 persons in March 2026, an increase of 3,400 persons, or 1.5%, compared with March 2025. Actual hours worked remained unchanged in March 2026 in comparison to March 2025. The level of unemployment decreased by 700 persons, or 2.3%, and the unemployment rate decreased by 0.4 percentage points to 11.2%. This rate marks an all-time low for the province for the month of March.
The labour force in Newfoundland and Labrador was 267,700 in March 2026. This was an increase of 2,800 persons, or 1.1%, compared with March 2025, and was due to an increase in both the source population and participation rate. The source population increased by 3,000 persons, or 0.6%, and the participation rate increased by 0.2 percentage points to 56.5%.
There was an increase in full-time employment (+5,200 persons or 2.7%) in March 2026 compared with March 2025, and a decrease in part-time employment (-1,800 persons or -4.5%). On a gender basis, employment increased by 3,100 persons for the ‘Men+’ category (+2.7%) and increased by 400 persons for the ‘Women+’ category (+0.3%).
On an industry basis, employment in the services-producing sector increased by 3,700 persons (+1.9%) in March 2026, while employment in the goods-producing sector decreased by 300 persons (-0.7%). Within the services-producing sector, the largest employment gains were recorded in ‘Health care and social assistance’ (+2,900 persons), ‘Accommodation and food services’ (+1,900 persons), ‘Other services (except public administration)’ (+1,600 persons), and ‘Transportation and warehousing’ (+1,300 persons). The largest employment declines were recorded in ‘Educational services’ (-2,800 persons) and ‘Public administration’ (-1,100 persons). Within the goods-producing sector, the largest employment decline was recorded in ‘Manufacturing’ (-1,200 persons). The largest employment gain was recorded in ‘Construction’ (+1,000 persons).
Employment increased in seven provinces in March 2026 compared with March 2025, with gains ranging from 1.2% in Saskatchewan to 3.9% in Alberta. Employment declined in Ontario (-0.3%), Quebec (-0.7%), and British Columbia (-1.6%).
On a year-to-date basis, employment in the province averaged 236,500 in the January to March 2026 period, an increase of 1.7% 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 0.5% in Nova Scotia to 3.6% in Alberta. Year-to-date employment increased by 0.3% for Canada. The unemployment rate in Newfoundland and Labrador averaged 10.9% on a year-to-date basis, a decrease of 1.3 percentage points compared with the January to March 2025 period.
| Labour Force Characteristics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | ||||||
|
Indicator
|
Mar 2025
|
Mar 2026
|
Change
|
Jan-Mar 2025
|
Jan-Mar 2026
|
Change
|
| Labour Force (000s) | 264.9 | 267.7 | 1.1% | 264.8 | 265.5 | 0.3% |
| Employment (000s) | 234.2 | 237.6 | 1.5% | 232.5 | 236.5 | 1.7% |
| Unemployment (000s) | 30.7 | 30.0 | -2.3% | 32.3 | 29.0 | -10.0% |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 11.6 | 11.2 | -0.4 ppts | 12.2 | 10.9 | -1.3 ppts |
| Participation Rate (%) | 56.3 | 56.5 | 0.2 ppts | 56.3 | 56.1 | -0.2 ppts |
| Employment Rate (%) | 49.8 | 50.2 | 0.4 ppts | 49.5 | 50.0 | 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.