Focus on Canada and the United States: Labour

Impact of tariffs on businesses in Canada: Expectations and strategic responses, second quarter of 2025

Analysis in Brief

Amid shifts in tariffs, trade regulations and the U.S. administration, the Canadian Survey on Business Conditions, conducted from April 1 to May 5, 2025, incorporated a series of targeted questions to gauge the sentiment, expectations and strategic responses of businesses across Canada. This paper provides an overview of the survey findings, examining the anticipated impacts on sales, business uncertainty and selling prices, as well as the array of mitigation strategies businesses have adopted to navigate the evolving economic landscape.

Analytical product

Job quality in industries dependent on United States demand for Canadian exports

Economic and Social Reports

While it is challenging to estimate the number of job losses that may be associated with U.S. tariffs, it is possible to describe the quality of jobs at risk of being affected by a decline in U.S. demand for Canadian products. This article addresses this issue by examining a multitude of job quality measures in industries dependent on U.S. demand for Canadian exports.

Analytical product

Recent developments in the Canadian economy: Spring 2025

Economic and Social Reports

This article provides an integrated summary of recent economic developments, highlighting changes in the economic data during late 2024 and early 2025. The article focuses on how economic conditions have changed as households and businesses adjust to ongoing uncertainty over Canada's trading relationship with the United States.

Analytical product

Labour Force Survey, April 2025

The Daily

By adjusting Canadian data to US concepts, direct comparisons can be made between the labour market situations in Canada and the United States.

Analytical product

Unit labour cost growth, inflation and productivity growth in Canada and the United State

Economic and Social Reports

The unit labour cost (ULC) is often used as a broad measure of international price competitiveness. It deviates from the inflation rate when the real wage rate and labour productivity grow at different paces. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has experienced an acceleration of unit labour cost growth and a significant upward deviation from the inflation rate, while this has not happened in the United States. This article explores the sources of the Canada–U.S. ULC growth gap and the factors contributing to its widening.

Analytical product

Recent trends in United States temporary foreign workers in Canada

Economic and Social Reports

The movement of temporary foreign workers between the United States and Canada represents a critical yet understudied aspect of North American labour mobility. This article examines recent trends in the number of temporary foreign workers from the U.S. to Canada, their employment patterns, industrial distribution and earnings.

Analytical product

Labour Force Survey, January 2025

The Daily

Check out the section "In the spotlight: The manufacturing sector, which has dependencies on US demand for Canadian exports, accounts for 8.9% of total employment in Canada."

Analytical product

Labour Force Survey, December 2024

The Daily

Check out the section "In the spotlight: In 2024, 8.8% of workers were in industries that were dependent on US demand for Canadian exports."

Analytical product

Employment growth in Canada and the United States during the recovery from COVID-19

Economic and Social Reports

This paper examines the differences between the Canadian and the United States labour markets post-COVID-19 lockdown by comparing the employment recovery of the various industries, the labour force participation rates, and labour churn.

Analytical product