Employment in Newfoundland and Labrador was 247,400 persons in May 2026, a decrease of 5,500 persons, or 2.2%, compared with May 2025. Actual hours worked decreased by 1.5%, and the level of unemployment decreased by 1,300 persons, or 4.7%.
The labour force in Newfoundland and Labrador was 273,500 in May 2026. This was a decrease of 6,900 persons, or 2.5%, compared with May 2025, and was due to a decline in the participation rate. The participation rate decreased by 1.8 percentage points to 57.7%, while the source population increased by 3,300 persons, or 0.7%.
There was a decrease in both part-time employment (-2,800 persons or -6.9%) and full-time employment (-2,700 persons or -1.3%) in May 2026 compared with May 2025. On a gender basis, employment decreased by 5,100 persons for the ‘Women+’ category (‑4.1%) and decreased by 500 persons for the ‘Men+’ category (-0.4%).
On an industry basis, employment in the services-producing sector declined by 4,600 persons (-2.3%) in May 2026 compared with May 2025, and employment in the goods-producing sector decreased by 1,000 persons (-2.0%). Within the services-producing sector, the largest employment declines were recorded in ‘Educational services’ (-4,000 persons) and ‘Wholesale and retail trade’ (-2,500 persons). The largest increases in employment were recorded in ‘Accommodation and food services’ (+2,300 persons), ‘Health care and social assistance’ (+1,400 persons) and ‘Transportation and warehousing’ (+1,100 persons). Within the goods-producing sector, the largest employment decline was recorded in ‘Manufacturing’ (-800 persons). Employment gains were recorded in ‘Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas’ (+200 persons) and ‘Utilities’ (+200).
Employment increased in five provinces in May 2026 compared with May 2025, with gains ranging from 0.5% in Nova Scotia to 4.6% in Prince Edward Island. Employment declined in five provinces ranging from -0.2% in New Brunswick to -2.2% in Newfoundland and Labrador.
On a year-to-date basis, employment in the province averaged 239,300 in the January to May 2026 period, an increase of 0.1% compared with the same period in 2025. There was an increase in year-to-date employment across eight provinces over the same period, ranging from 0.1% in both Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador to 3.7% in Alberta. Year-to-date employment increased by 0.3% for Canada. The unemployment rate in Newfoundland and Labrador averaged 10.6% on a year-to-date basis, a decrease of 0.7 percentage points compared with the January to May 2025 period.
| Labour Force Characteristics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | ||||||
|
Indicator
|
May 2025
|
May 2026
|
Change
|
Jan-May 2025
|
Jan-May 2026
|
Change
|
| Labour Force (000s) | 280.4 | 273.5 | -2.5% | 269.7 | 267.8 | -0.7% |
| Employment (000s) | 252.9 | 247.4 | -2.2% | 238.9 | 239.3 | 0.1% |
| Unemployment (000s) | 27.4 | 26.1 | -4.7% | 30.7 | 28.5 | -7.2% |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 9.8 | 9.5 | -0.3 ppts | 11.4 | 10.6 | -0.7 ppts |
| Participation Rate (%) | 59.5 | 57.7 | -1.8 ppts | 57.3 | 56.6 | -0.8 ppts |
| Employment Rate (%) | 53.7 | 52.2 | -1.5 ppts | 50.8 | 50.5 | -0.3 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.