Employment in Newfoundland and Labrador was 254,900 persons in June 2026, a decrease of 1,800 persons, or 0.7%, compared with June 2025. Actual hours worked decreased by 0.2% and the level of unemployment decreased by 3,700 persons, or 16.0%. The unemployment rate decreased by 1.2 percentage points to 7.1% in June 2026 when compared with June 2025, marking the lowest monthly unemployment rate since consistent records began in 1976.
The labour force in Newfoundland and Labrador was 274,300 persons in June 2026, a decrease of 5,500 persons, or 2.0%, compared with June 2025, and was due to a decline in the participation rate. The participation rate decreased by 1.6 percentage points to 57.8%, while the source population increased by 3,600 persons, or 0.8%.
There was a decrease in both part-time employment (-1,200 persons or -3.1%) and full-time employment (-700 persons or -0.3%) in June 2026 compared with June 2025. On a gender basis, employment decreased by 1,100 persons for the ‘Men+’ category (‑0.8%) and decreased by 700 persons for the ‘Women+’ category (‑0.6%).
On an industry basis, employment in the services-producing sector declined by 400 persons (-0.2%) in June 2026 compared with June 2025, and employment in the goods-producing sector decreased by 1,400 persons (-2.6%). Within the services-producing sector, the largest employment declines were recorded in ‘Educational services’ (-2,500 persons) and ‘Business, building and other support services’ (-1,200 persons). The largest increases in employment were recorded in ‘Health care and social assistance’ (+1,300 persons), ‘Other services (except public administration)’ (+1,300 persons), ‘Wholesale and retail trade’ (+1,200 persons), and ‘Accommodation and food services’ (+1,200 persons). Within the goods-producing sector, the largest employment decline was recorded in ‘Manufacturing’ (-2,200 persons). Employment gains were recorded in ‘Utilities’ (+400 persons), ‘Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas’ (+300 persons) and ‘Construction’ (+200 persons).
Employment increased in five provinces in June 2026 compared with June 2025, with gains ranging from 0.8% in Ontario to 4.0% in Prince Edward Island. Employment declined in five provinces ranging from -0.2% in New Brunswick to -1.1% in Quebec.
On a year-to-date basis, employment in the province averaged 241,900 in the January to June 2026 period, unchanged 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 0.2% in Ontario to 3.5% in Alberta. Year-to-date employment increased by 0.4% for Canada. The unemployment rate in Newfoundland and Labrador averaged 10.0% on a year-to-date basis, a decrease of 0.8 percentage points compared with the January to June 2025 period.
| Labour Force Characteristics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | ||||||
|
Indicator
|
Jun 2025
|
Jun 2026
|
Change
|
Jan-Jun 2025
|
Jan-Jun 2026
|
Change
|
| Labour Force (000s) | 279.8 | 274.3 | -2.0% | 271.4 | 268.9 | -0.9% |
| Employment (000s) | 256.7 | 254.9 | -0.7% | 241.9 | 241.9 | 0.0% |
| Unemployment (000s) | 23.1 | 19.4 | -16.0% | 29.5 | 27.0 | -8.3% |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 8.3 | 7.1 | -1.2 ppts | 10.9 | 10.0 | -0.8 ppts |
| Participation Rate (%) | 59.4 | 57.8 | -1.6 ppts | 57.7 | 56.8 | -0.9 ppts |
| Employment Rate (%) | 54.5 | 53.7 | -0.8 ppts | 51.4 | 51.1 | -0.4 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.