Unemployment rate declines to 6.9% in October
Employment increased by 67,000 (+0.3%) in October, the second consecutive monthly increase, and the employment rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 60.8%. The unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 6.9% in October. Prior to this decline, the unemployment rate had reached 7.1% in August and September, the highest level since May 2016 (excluding 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic).
Source: Labour Force Survey, October 2025
Domestic traffic up in September, transborder traffic waning
In September, 5.0 million passengers were recorded passing through pre-board security screening at checkpoints operated at Canada's eight largest airports, a 3.7% increase over September 2024. In September 2025, 2.5 million passengers were screened for domestic flights, a considerably higher number (+10.2%) than for the same month in 2024. In contrast, the total of 1.2 million transborder passengers (to the United States) in September 2025 was 10.5% lower than the same month one year earlier.
Source: Screened passenger traffic at Canadian airports, September 2025
Metal fabrications division contributes to cost growth in residential construction
Residential building construction costs increased 0.6% in the third quarter, following a 1.0% increase in the previous quarter. Non-residential building construction costs rose 0.6% in the third quarter, following a 1.8% increase in the previous quarter. At the division level, the metal fabrications division (+2.2%) was among the top contributors to residential building construction costs, while the utilities (+1.6%) and plumbing (+1.2%) divisions trailed closely behind.
Source: Building construction price indexes, third quarter 2025
Increased household spending buoys economic growth in 2024
Canada's gross domestic product increased 2.0% in 2024, the same rate of increase as in 2023, and following a 4.7% rise in 2022. In 2024, household spending rose 2.2%, the same rate of growth as in 2023 and following a 6.8% increase in 2022. The growth in 2024 was led by increased spending on new trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles, rent, financial services and telecommunication services.
Source: Provincial and territorial economic accounts, 2024
Transition from military to civilian life
In 2024, 60.9% of Veterans described their transition to civilian life as easy, with women (61.8%) being slightly more likely than men (60.1%) to report this being the case. By contrast, 17.7% of Veterans described the transition as difficult and 21.3% described it as neither difficult nor easy. One important determinant of a successful transition to civilian life is finding satisfying work. In 2024, veterans reporting an easy transition to civilian life were more likely to have found satisfactory work (87.8%) compared with those reporting a difficult transition (58.8%).
Source: 2024 Canadian Veteran Health Survey: Findings on the service to civilian transition
Chocolate by the numbers
Canada has a sweet tooth! In 2023, Canadian households spent an average of $119 on chocolate bars. In the same year, factories across Canada manufactured $2.7 billion worth of chocolate and confectionery products. In 2023, Canada exported over $2.78 billion worth of chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa, while it imported almost $1.75 billion worth of ready-to-eat chocolate products. However, the Consumer Price Index shows prices for confectionery were 34.6% higher in July 2025 than in July 2020, which means Canadians were paying more than a third more for the same sweet fix.
Source: Chocolate: Some sweet stats
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).