Unemployment rate rises
Employment was little changed in April (-18,000; -0.1%) and the employment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 60.5%. The unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points to 6.9%, as more people searched for work (+51,000; +3.4%). The youth (15 to 24 years) unemployment rate rose by 0.5 percentage points to 14.3% in April. The youth unemployment rate was virtually unchanged on a year-over-year basis but remained markedly above the pre-COVID-19-pandemic average of 10.8%.
Source: Labour Force Survey, April 2026
The number of international students in public postsecondary institutions declines
From the 2003/2004 to 2023/2024 academic years, the number of full-time international students in public postsecondary institutions in Canada increased eightfold. It then fell by almost one-third, according to new preliminary estimates now available for the 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 academic years. Since 2023/2024, the number of international students decreased 124,000 (-29%), bringing their numbers back to about 300,000 in total in 2025/2026, which is similar to the level observed in 2021/2022.
Fewer temporary foreign workers employed in agriculture sector
There were 280,991 employees in the agriculture sector in 2024, edging up 0.1% from 2023. Following a sharp increase in 2023, the number of temporary foreign workers employed in the agriculture sector was down 6.2% to 74,789 in 2024. Ontario (33,968) continued to employ the largest number of temporary foreign workers in agriculture in 2024, followed by Quebec (22,206) and British Columbia (11,012).
Homeownership rates among millennials
Housing affordability is a concern for many younger Canadians. Homeownership rates have been declining since 2011, while rental markets have posed financial challenges for young renters in recent years. In 2021, the proportion of millennials aged 25 to 39 who were living in a census family with at least one parent (16.3%) was nearly twice that of baby boomers in 1991 (8.2%). After adjusting for the fact that young adults are now living with their parents longer, millennials had a lower rate of homeownership in 2021 (49.9%) than their Gen-Xer counterparts in 2006 (56.2%) and baby boomer counterparts in 1991 (55.9%).
Majority of residents in facilities for victims of abuse are women and accompanying children
Residential facilities for victims of abuse in Canada reported 61,465 admissions over a 12-month period from 2024 to 2025. On April 30, 2025, there were 7,918 residents staying in these facilities. Women (51%) and accompanying children (49%) accounted for almost all residents on that date, while men and adults of another gender comprised less than 1% of residents.
Source: Canadian residential facilities for victims of abuse, 2024/2025
Over four in five Canadian households compost
Just over 3.1 million tonnes of organic waste was diverted from a landfill in 2024, with Canadian households doing most (80%) of the diverting. In 2023, we asked Canadian households if they composted kitchen waste, yard waste or compostable bioplastics. Over four in five Canadian households responded yes (85%), compared with 61% in 2009 when we first asked about composting kitchen or yard waste. Among households that reported composting waste in 2023, nearly four in five (79%) reported having the garden waste taken away by the city or a private company, up from 62% in 2009.
Source: Composting: Giving organic waste another shot at life
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).