Employment increases driven by full-time work
Employment increased by 88,000 (+0.4%) in May, the first significant employment gain since November 2025. The increase in May follows a net decline of 112,000 (-0.5%) over the first four months of 2026. The number of people working full-time rose in May (+0.9%) offsetting the downward trend observed from January to April (-0.9%). In May, part-time employment decreased by 66,000 (-1.7%). The employment rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 60.7%. In May, the unemployment rate fell 0.3 percentage points to 6.6%.
Source: Labour Force Survey, May 2026
Production and exports of finished petroleum products set records for March
Primary energy production (+0.9%) increased year over year to 2.2 million gigajoules in March. Secondary energy production rose 2.7%, with refined petroleum products contributing the most to the increase. Production of finished petroleum products rose 5.1% year over year to 10.1 million cubic metres in March. Motor gasoline (+8.1%), distillate fuel oil (+4.0%), and kerosene-type jet fuel (+19.5%) all contributed to the gain. This was the highest level of March production for finished petroleum products recorded since this series began in 2019, as well as the highest March level for each of the three products individually.
Source: Energy statistics, March 2026
Goods-producing businesses lead the overall decline in productivity
The labour productivity of Canadian businesses fell 0.5% in the first quarter, after edging down in the previous quarter (-0.3%). The first quarter decline in business sector productivity was driven by goods-producing businesses (-1.7%). Meanwhile, productivity in services-producing businesses edged up 0.3%. Construction and agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting were the main contributors to this decline, while retail trade and transportation and warehousing saw the strongest increases in productivity.
Source: Labour productivity, hourly compensation and unit labour cost, first quarter 2026
Two in five non-working persons with disabilities have work potential
Persons with disabilities have lower rates of employment and higher rates of unemployment than those without disabilities. In 2022, 42.0% of persons with disabilities aged 25 to 64 years who were unemployed or not in the labour force had work potential. Furthermore, 34.0% of employed persons with disabilities were overqualified for their current position, which was similar to the rate of overqualification among persons without disabilities (32.7%). When looking at the different disability types, persons with mental health-related (36.8%), mobility (37.6%) and developmental (43.9%) disabilities had higher rates of overqualification than their counterparts without each of those disability types (35.1%, 32.8% and 33.5%, respectively).
Source: Work potential and overqualification status among persons with disabilities, 2022
How Canadian households are helping the environment
In 2023, households accounted for over one-fifth (21.5%) of Canada’s total energy use and less than one-sixth (15.4%) of Canada’s total GHG emission. For households, helping reduce emissions often means making greener choices when it comes to commuting, composting or recycling, home energy use and even shopping habits. For example, many Canadians continue to opt for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) to get around. In 2025, 169,972 ZEVs were sold in Canada, making up 8.7% of all new motor vehicle sales. However, in 2025, commuting increased for the fourth consecutive year in 2025 as working from home decreased, potentially contributing to higher GHG emissions and congestion.
Source: Cleaner commutes and less waste: How Canadian households are helping the environment
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).