Employment in Newfoundland and Labrador was 255,600 persons in July 2026, a decrease of 1,900 persons, or 0.7%, compared with July 2025. Actual hours worked decreased by 0.8% and the level of unemployment decreased by 2,600 persons, or 10.4%. The unemployment rate decreased by 0.7 percentage points to 8.1% in July 2026 compared with July 2025, remaining low by historical standards.
The labour force in Newfoundland and Labrador was 278,000 in July 2026. This represented a decrease of 4,500 persons, or 1.6%, compared with July 2025, and was due to a decline in the participation rate. The participation rate decreased by 1.4 percentage points to 58.5%, while the source population increased by 3,700 persons, or 0.8%.
There was a decrease in part-time employment (-3,500 persons, or -9.8%), while there was an increase in full-time employment (+1,500 persons, or +0.7%) in July 2026 compared with July 2025. By gender, employment decreased by 1,000 persons (or ‑0.7%) for the ‘Men+’ category and decreased by 900 persons (or ‑0.7%) for the ‘Women+’ category.
By industry, employment in the services-producing sector declined by 200 persons (‑0.1%) in July 2026 compared with July 2025, and employment in the goods-producing sector decreased by 1,800 persons (-3.4%). Within the services-producing sector, the largest employment declines were in ‘Educational services’ (-1,300 persons) and ‘Information, culture and recreation’ (‑1,200 persons). The largest employment increases were recorded in ‘Accommodation and food services’ (+1,300 persons) and ‘Other services (except public administration)’ (+1,300 persons). Within the goods-producing sector, the largest employment decline was recorded in ‘Manufacturing’ (-1,400 persons). Employment gains were only in ‘Utilities’ (+200 persons), while employment remained unchanged in ‘Agriculture’ and ‘Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas’.
Employment increased in six provinces in July 2026 compared with July 2025, with gains ranging from 0.2% in British Columbia to 3.3% in Alberta. Employment declined in four provinces, ranging from -0.3% in New Brunswick to -0.7% in both Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.
On a year-to-date basis, employment in the province averaged 243,800 in the January to July 2026 period, a decline of 0.1% compared with the same period in 2025. There was an increase in year-to-date employment in seven provinces over the same period, ranging from 0.4% in both Ontario and Saskatchewan to 3.5% in Alberta. Nationally, year-to-date employment increased by 0.4%. The unemployment rate in Newfoundland and Labrador averaged 9.7% on a year-to-date basis, a decrease of 0.8 percentage points compared with the January to July 2025 period.
| Labour Force Characteristics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | ||||||
|
Indicator
|
Jul 2025
|
Jul 2026
|
Change
|
Jan-Jul 2025
|
Jan-Jul 2026
|
Change
|
| Labour Force (000s) | 282.5 | 278.0 | -1.6% | 273.0 | 270.2 | -1.0% |
| Employment (000s) | 257.5 | 255.6 | -0.7% | 244.1 | 243.8 | -0.1% |
| Unemployment (000s) | 25.0 | 22.4 | -10.4% | 28.8 | 26.3 | -8.6% |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 8.8 | 8.1 | -0.7 ppts | 10.6 | 9.7 | -0.8 ppts |
| Participation Rate (%) | 59.9 | 58.5 | -1.4 ppts | 58.0 | 57.0 | -1.0 ppts |
| Employment Rate (%) | 54.6 | 53.8 | -0.8 ppts | 51.9 | 51.5 | -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 |
||||||
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.