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Labour economicsChapter 1: Introduction

Measuring the labour market

Key facts

Key facts

u=UE+U×100,LFPR=E+UP×100\displaystyle u = \frac{U}{E + U} \times 100, \quad \text{LFPR} = \frac{E + U}{P} \times 100
Course
Labour economics, ECON 331
Textbook
Borjas, chapter 2
Related
What labour economics studiesLabour force participation and the reservation wageThe work-leisure choiceLabour supply over the life cycle and the business cycleMeasuring unemployment
Practise this topic (15)

Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey (LFS) sorts every person aged 15 and over into one of three groups: employed, unemployed or not in the labour force. The labour force is the employed plus the unemployed. Three rates summarize labour supply: the participation rate (labour force over population), the employment rate (employed over population) and the unemployment rate (unemployed over the labour force).

Who counts as employed and unemployed

Section titled “Who counts as employed and unemployed”

The LFS is a monthly household survey; the 2025 design samples about 63,600 households. Each month’s estimates refer to a reference week, usually the week containing the 15th. The survey covers people aged 15 and over in the ten provinces. It excludes people living on reserves, full-time members of the regular Armed Forces and people living in institutions, about 2 percent of that population; the territories are surveyed separately.1

StatusRule for the reference weekExamples
EmployedDid any work at all for pay or profit, including self-employment and unpaid work in a family business or farm; or had a job but was absent because of illness, family responsibilities, vacation or a labour disputeA student who worked three hours at a café; a nurse on vacation
UnemployedHad no work, was available, and either looked for work in the past four weeks, was on temporary layoff expecting recall, or had a job starting within four weeksA laid-off welder waiting to be recalled; a graduate sending out applications
Not in the labour forceEveryone elseA retiree; a full-time parent not seeking work; a discouraged searcher

A discouraged searcher wants a job and is available but did not look, because they believe no suitable work exists. Not having searched, they are not in the labour force, not unemployed.1

Borjas uses the US definitions of the Current Population Survey: the same three categories, for the civilian population living outside institutions, but starting at age 16.2

The three rates

Section titled “The three rates”

With EE employed, UU unemployed and PP people aged 15 and over:

labour force=E+U,participation rate=E+UP×100,\text{labour force} = E + U, \qquad \text{participation rate} = \frac{E + U}{P} \times 100, employment rate=EP×100,unemployment rate=UE+U×100.\text{employment rate} = \frac{E}{P} \times 100, \qquad \text{unemployment rate} = \frac{U}{E + U} \times 100.

Because E/P=E+UP×EE+UE/P = \tfrac{E + U}{P} \times \tfrac{E}{E + U}, the three are linked:

employment rate=participation rate×(1−unemployment rate100).\text{employment rate} = \text{participation rate} \times \left(1 - \frac{\text{unemployment rate}}{100}\right).
Labour force status: employed, unemployed and not in the labour forceA town of 100,000 people aged 15 and over, split into the employed, the unemployed and people not in the labour force. The labour force is the employed plus the unemployed. The participation, unemployment and employment rates follow from the counts.
Participation rate (labour force ÷ population)
65.0%
Unemployment rate (unemployed ÷ labour force)
7.7%
Employment rate (employed ÷ population)
60.0%
Open in Graph Lab
Figure 1. A population of 100,000 aged 15 and over with 60,000 employed and 5,000 unemployed: the labour force is 65,000, the participation rate 65 percent, the employment rate 60 percent and the unemployment rate 5,000 / 65,000 = 7.7 percent. When unemployed people stop searching and leave the labour force, the unemployment and participation rates fall while the employment rate is unchanged.

The extensive and intensive margins

Section titled “The extensive and intensive margins”

Labour supply has two dimensions. The extensive margin is whether people work at all, measured by the participation rate or the employment rate. The intensive margin is how much those who work supply, measured by hours per worker per week or per year. Total hours combine the two:

total hours=number employed×average hours per worker.\text{total hours} = \text{number employed} \times \text{average hours per worker}.
Total hours worked: extensive margin vs intensive marginTotal hours worked in an economy equal the number of people working times the average hours each works. The width of the rectangle is the extensive margin (how many people work) and its height is the intensive margin (how many hours each works). The dashed outline is the starting point of 20 million workers at 35 hours a week.
Total hours per week
700 million
Change from the start (700 million)
0 million
Open in Graph Lab
Figure 2. Total hours are the area of the rectangle: its width is the number employed (extensive margin) and its height is hours per worker (intensive margin). 20 million people working 35 hours supply 700 million hours a week; 22 million working 32 hours supply 704 million, so more people at work can coexist with a shorter average week.

The two margins answer different economic questions. The decision to participate is a corner-versus-interior choice governed by the reservation wage; the choice of hours for someone who works is the tangency in the work-leisure model.

Worked example

Section titled “Worked example”

A province has 4,000,000 people aged 15 and over. In one month 2,700,000 are employed and 180,000 are unemployed.

  1. Labour force. 2,700,000+180,000=2,880,0002{,}700{,}000 + 180{,}000 = 2{,}880{,}000.

  2. Participation rate. 2,880,000/4,000,000×100=72.02{,}880{,}000 / 4{,}000{,}000 \times 100 = 72.0 percent.

  3. Employment rate. 2,700,000/4,000,000×100=67.52{,}700{,}000 / 4{,}000{,}000 \times 100 = 67.5 percent.

  4. Unemployment rate. 180,000/2,880,000×100=6.25180{,}000 / 2{,}880{,}000 \times 100 = 6.25 percent. Check: 72.0×(1−0.0625)=67.572.0 \times (1 - 0.0625) = 67.5.

  5. 30,000 of the unemployed give up searching. They move to “not in the labour force”. Unemployment falls to 150,000 and the labour force to 2,850,000, so the unemployment rate falls to 150,000/2,850,000×100=5.26150{,}000 / 2{,}850{,}000 \times 100 = 5.26 percent and the participation rate to 71.25 percent. Employment and the employment rate, 67.5 percent, do not change.

Evidence: Canadian labour supply since 1976

Section titled “Evidence: Canadian labour supply since 1976”

Participation by sex. The largest change since 1976 is the rise in women’s participation. In the United States, Claudia Goldin traces it through four phases over the twentieth century, the last a “quiet revolution”, beginning in the late 1970s, in women’s career horizons and identity.3 In Canada, women’s participation rose until 2008 while men’s drifted down.

Labour force participation rate by gender, Canada

Annual averages, population aged 15 and over

  • All
  • Men
  • Women
Labour force participation rate by gender, Canada
Women's participation rate rose from 45.7 percent in 1976 to 61.1 percent in 2025, while men's fell from 77.7 to 69.5 percent. The overall rate peaked at 67.6 percent in 2003 and again in 2008.Source: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0327-01, Labour force characteristics by gender and detailed age group, annual. Retrieved 2026-10-23.
Show the data and notes

Annual averages of monthly Labour Force Survey estimates. The LFS recorded sex before 2022 and gender from 2022; Statistics Canada combines them in one series. From 2022 "Men" and "Women" are its Men+ and Women+ categories, each of which includes some non-binary persons. The Labour Force Survey covers the 10 provinces; it excludes the territories, people living on reserves, full-time members of the Canadian Armed Forces and people living in institutions.

PeriodAllMenWomen
197661.5%77.7%45.7%
197761.9%77.6%46.5%
197862.7%77.9%47.9%
197963.7%78.4%49.4%
198064.3%78.3%50.6%
198165.0%78.4%52.0%
198264.4%77.0%52.1%
198364.7%76.9%53.0%
198465.0%76.7%53.8%
198565.6%76.7%54.9%
198666.1%76.9%55.7%
198766.5%76.8%56.5%
198866.8%76.6%57.4%
198967.3%76.8%58.1%
199067.1%76.1%58.5%
199166.6%75.0%58.4%
199265.7%73.9%57.8%
199365.3%73.3%57.7%
199465.2%73.1%57.5%
199564.8%72.5%57.5%
199664.7%72.2%57.5%
199764.9%72.2%57.8%
199865.1%72.1%58.4%
199965.5%72.4%58.9%
200065.8%72.3%59.4%
200165.9%72.3%59.8%
200266.9%73.0%60.9%
200367.6%73.4%61.9%
200467.5%73.2%62.0%
200567.1%72.8%61.7%
200667.2%72.7%61.9%
200767.5%72.7%62.4%
200867.6%72.9%62.5%
200967.3%72.3%62.4%
201067.1%71.9%62.4%
201166.8%71.8%62.0%
201266.7%71.6%62.0%
201366.7%71.4%62.1%
201466.2%71.0%61.5%
201566.1%71.0%61.3%
201665.8%70.6%61.2%
201766.0%70.7%61.4%
201865.8%70.3%61.3%
201966.0%70.5%61.6%
202064.4%69.0%59.8%
202165.5%69.9%61.0%
202265.5%69.6%61.4%
202365.8%70.0%61.7%
202465.5%69.7%61.2%
202565.3%69.5%61.1%

Participation by age. Participation follows a life-cycle pattern, so the population’s age mix moves the overall rate. Participation of 55- to 64-year-olds fell until the mid-1990s and has risen since (life cycle and business cycle).

Labour force participation rate by age group, Canada

Annual averages, both genders

  • 15 to 24
  • 25 to 54
  • 55 to 64
  • 65 and over
Labour force participation rate by age group, Canada
Participation of 25- to 54-year-olds rose from 73.5 percent in 1976 to 88.5 percent in 2025. Among 55- to 64-year-olds it fell to 47.1 percent in 1995 and then climbed to 67.5 percent; among people aged 65 and over it rose from 6.0 percent in 2000 to 15.2 percent.Source: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0327-01, Labour force characteristics by gender and detailed age group, annual. Retrieved 2026-10-23.
Show the data and notes

Annual averages of monthly Labour Force Survey estimates. The table has no 55–64 age group, so the 55–64 rate is computed here as (labour force aged 55–59 + 60–64) ÷ (population aged 55–59 + 60–64) × 100 from the same table's published levels; applied to groups StatCan does publish, this method reproduces its rates to within 0.1 point. The Labour Force Survey covers the 10 provinces; it excludes the territories, people living on reserves, full-time members of the Canadian Armed Forces and people living in institutions.

Period15 to 2425 to 5455 to 6465 and over
197663.6%73.5%53.1%9.2%
197764.6%74.1%52.3%8.5%
197865.6%75.5%52.1%8.3%
197967.4%76.4%53.0%8.3%
198068.6%77.3%52.6%8.0%
198169.3%78.7%52.2%7.8%
198267.3%78.6%51.7%7.8%
198367.6%79.4%51.1%7.3%
198468.0%80.0%50.5%7.3%
198568.6%81.1%50.5%7.1%
198669.7%82.0%49.6%6.7%
198770.3%82.6%49.3%6.7%
198870.6%83.3%49.4%6.6%
198971.2%84.0%49.1%6.7%
199069.9%84.3%49.2%6.7%
199168.1%84.1%48.5%6.7%
199266.2%83.4%48.2%6.5%
199364.4%83.5%47.8%6.2%
199463.9%83.3%48.1%6.6%
199563.2%83.3%47.1%6.2%
199662.2%83.4%47.1%6.1%
199761.5%83.9%48.2%6.3%
199861.8%84.3%48.7%6.5%
199963.5%84.6%49.7%6.2%
200064.4%84.8%50.9%6.0%
200164.7%85.1%51.2%6.1%
200266.5%85.9%53.4%6.7%
200367.3%86.4%56.6%7.5%
200466.8%86.5%57.3%7.7%
200565.9%86.3%57.9%8.1%
200667.1%86.3%58.3%8.3%
200768.0%86.6%59.4%8.8%
200868.3%86.7%60.0%9.9%
200966.4%86.6%61.4%10.5%
201065.6%86.5%61.9%11.3%
201165.6%86.4%62.2%11.8%
201265.0%86.7%62.9%12.4%
201365.2%86.7%64.0%13.0%
201465.3%86.3%64.0%13.3%
201565.4%86.5%64.4%13.4%
201664.8%86.5%65.3%13.5%
201765.4%87.0%65.5%14.1%
201865.0%87.1%66.2%14.1%
201965.8%87.5%66.6%14.9%
202062.2%86.4%65.9%14.0%
202164.2%87.9%67.9%14.2%
202265.3%88.5%66.6%14.5%
202365.0%88.8%67.8%14.9%
202463.1%88.6%67.8%15.0%
202563.0%88.5%67.5%15.2%

Hours per worker. At the intensive margin, the long-run trend is down. Across countries, hours worked have fallen by a little under half a percent a year for about 150 years, with the postwar United States an exception.4 Income and substitution effects explain why rising wages can produce that decline.

Average annual hours actually worked per worker, Canada

Selected OECD countries, all workers

Average annual hours actually worked per worker, Canada
Average annual hours per worker in Canada fell from 1,925 in 1970 to 1,687 in 2025.Source: OECD Data Explorer, Average annual hours actually worked per worker (OECD.ELS.SAE, DSD_HW@DF_AVG_ANN_HRS_WKD). Retrieved 2026-10-23.
Show the data and notes

Total hours actually worked in the year ÷ average number of people in employment (employees and self-employed). The OECD advises using these data to compare trends over time, not levels across countries, because national sources and methods differ. Rounded to whole hours, the OECD's published precision.

PeriodCanada
19701,925
19711,912
19721,904
19731,898
19741,891
19751,872
19761,862
19771,834
19781,836
19791,841
19801,827
19811,812
19821,789
19831,779
19841,789
19851,795
19861,797
19871,807
19881,808
19891,802
19901,797
19911,775
19921,772
19931,769
19941,778
19951,775
19961,790
19971,802
19981,797
19991,795
20001,789
20011,775
20021,757
20031,747
20041,757
20051,747
20061,745
20071,745
20081,742
20091,710
20101,715
20111,711
20121,721
20131,714
20141,709
20151,710
20161,705
20171,694
20181,704
20191,693
20201,658
20211,691
20221,693
20231,694
20241,697
20251,687

Unemployment. The unemployment rate rises sharply in recessions and falls back more slowly in recoveries.

Unemployment rate, Canada

Monthly, seasonally adjusted, population aged 15 and over

Unemployment rate, Canada
Canada's unemployment rate peaked at 13.1 percent in December 1982, 12.1 percent in November 1992, 8.8 percent in June 2009 and 14.2 percent in May 2020, and fell to 4.8 percent in July 2022.Source: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0287-01, Labour force characteristics, monthly, seasonally adjusted and trend-cycle. Retrieved 2026-10-23.
Show the data and notes

Seasonally adjusted Labour Force Survey estimates, both genders; revised periodically. The Labour Force Survey covers the 10 provinces; it excludes the territories, people living on reserves, full-time members of the Canadian Armed Forces and people living in institutions.

PeriodUnemployment rate
Jan 19767.1%
Feb 19767.0%
Mar 19766.7%
Apr 19766.8%
May 19766.9%
Jun 19766.9%
Jul 19767.4%
Aug 19767.1%
Sep 19767.0%
Oct 19767.4%
Nov 19767.4%
Dec 19767.5%
Jan 19777.6%
Feb 19777.9%
Mar 19777.8%
Apr 19777.9%
May 19777.8%
Jun 19777.8%
Jul 19778.1%
Aug 19778.2%
Sep 19778.3%
Oct 19778.4%
Nov 19778.5%
Dec 19778.5%
Jan 19788.3%
Feb 19788.3%
Mar 19788.5%
Apr 19788.4%
May 19788.6%
Jun 19788.4%
Jul 19788.3%
Aug 19788.4%
Sep 19788.4%
Oct 19788.2%
Nov 19788.3%
Dec 19788.3%
Jan 19798.2%
Feb 19798.0%
Mar 19797.9%
Apr 19798.0%
May 19797.6%
Jun 19797.4%
Jul 19797.2%
Aug 19797.1%
Sep 19797.0%
Oct 19797.2%
Nov 19797.2%
Dec 19797.2%
Jan 19807.5%
Feb 19807.6%
Mar 19807.6%
Apr 19807.7%
May 19807.8%
Jun 19807.7%
Jul 19807.6%
Aug 19807.6%
Sep 19807.3%
Oct 19807.3%
Nov 19807.2%
Dec 19807.3%
Jan 19817.4%
Feb 19817.4%
Mar 19817.4%
Apr 19817.1%
May 19817.2%
Jun 19817.2%
Jul 19817.2%
Aug 19817.1%
Sep 19818.1%
Oct 19818.3%
Nov 19818.3%
Dec 19818.7%
Jan 19828.6%
Feb 19828.9%
Mar 19829.3%
Apr 19829.8%
May 198210.3%
Jun 198211.1%
Jul 198211.9%
Aug 198212.0%
Sep 198212.4%
Oct 198212.9%
Nov 198212.9%
Dec 198213.1%
Jan 198312.7%
Feb 198312.7%
Mar 198312.5%
Apr 198312.4%
May 198312.4%
Jun 198312.4%
Jul 198311.9%
Aug 198311.7%
Sep 198311.4%
Oct 198311.3%
Nov 198311.3%
Dec 198311.3%
Jan 198411.3%
Feb 198411.3%
Mar 198411.3%
Apr 198411.5%
May 198411.7%
Jun 198411.3%
Jul 198411.2%
Aug 198411.3%
Sep 198411.8%
Oct 198411.3%
Nov 198411.4%
Dec 198411.1%
Jan 198510.6%
Feb 198510.8%
Mar 198511.0%
Apr 198510.8%
May 198510.6%
Jun 198510.7%
Jul 198510.4%
Aug 198510.3%
Sep 198510.2%
Oct 198510.3%
Nov 198510.3%
Dec 198510.1%
Jan 19869.8%
Feb 19869.9%
Mar 19869.8%
Apr 19869.7%
May 19869.5%
Jun 19869.6%
Jul 19869.6%
Aug 19869.6%
Sep 19869.5%
Oct 19869.4%
Nov 19869.4%
Dec 19869.5%
Jan 19879.5%
Feb 19879.5%
Mar 19879.4%
Apr 19879.2%
May 19878.9%
Jun 19878.9%
Jul 19878.7%
Aug 19878.6%
Sep 19878.4%
Oct 19878.3%
Nov 19878.2%
Dec 19878.0%
Jan 19888.1%
Feb 19887.8%
Mar 19887.8%
Apr 19887.7%
May 19887.8%
Jun 19887.6%
Jul 19887.8%
Aug 19887.8%
Sep 19887.8%
Oct 19887.8%
Nov 19887.8%
Dec 19887.5%
Jan 19897.5%
Feb 19897.6%
Mar 19897.5%
Apr 19897.8%
May 19897.7%
Jun 19897.5%
Jul 19897.5%
Aug 19897.3%
Sep 19897.3%
Oct 19897.2%
Nov 19897.5%
Dec 19897.7%
Jan 19907.9%
Feb 19907.7%
Mar 19907.3%
Apr 19907.6%
May 19907.8%
Jun 19907.6%
Jul 19907.9%
Aug 19908.1%
Sep 19908.5%
Oct 19908.8%
Nov 19909.1%
Dec 19909.5%
Jan 19919.8%
Feb 199110.2%
Mar 199110.5%
Apr 199110.3%
May 199110.2%
Jun 199110.5%
Jul 199110.5%
Aug 199110.5%
Sep 199110.3%
Oct 199110.3%
Nov 199110.4%
Dec 199110.3%
Jan 199210.4%
Feb 199210.5%
Mar 199210.9%
Apr 199210.7%
May 199210.9%
Jun 199211.4%
Jul 199211.3%
Aug 199211.7%
Sep 199211.6%
Oct 199211.4%
Nov 199212.1%
Dec 199211.7%
Jan 199311.2%
Feb 199311.0%
Mar 199311.2%
Apr 199311.6%
May 199311.6%
Jun 199311.7%
Jul 199311.6%
Aug 199311.2%
Sep 199311.5%
Oct 199311.3%
Nov 199311.2%
Dec 199311.4%
Jan 199411.4%
Feb 199411.1%
Mar 199410.6%
Apr 199410.9%
May 199410.7%
Jun 199410.3%
Jul 199410.1%
Aug 199410.2%
Sep 199410.1%
Oct 199410.0%
Nov 19949.7%
Dec 19949.6%
Jan 19959.6%
Feb 19959.6%
Mar 19959.7%
Apr 19959.5%
May 19959.5%
Jun 19959.5%
Jul 19959.6%
Aug 19959.5%
Sep 19959.2%
Oct 19959.3%
Nov 19959.2%
Dec 19959.4%
Jan 19969.4%
Feb 19969.5%
Mar 19969.6%
Apr 19969.3%
May 19969.2%
Jun 19969.8%
Jul 19969.7%
Aug 19969.4%
Sep 19969.9%
Oct 19969.9%
Nov 19969.9%
Dec 19969.7%
Jan 19979.5%
Feb 19979.5%
Mar 19979.3%
Apr 19979.4%
May 19979.4%
Jun 19979.1%
Jul 19978.9%
Aug 19978.9%
Sep 19978.8%
Oct 19978.9%
Nov 19978.9%
Dec 19978.5%
Jan 19988.8%
Feb 19988.6%
Mar 19988.4%
Apr 19988.3%
May 19988.3%
Jun 19988.4%
Jul 19988.3%
Aug 19988.1%
Sep 19988.2%
Oct 19988.0%
Nov 19988.0%
Dec 19988.1%
Jan 19997.9%
Feb 19997.9%
Mar 19997.9%
Apr 19998.2%
May 19997.9%
Jun 19997.6%
Jul 19997.6%
Aug 19997.4%
Sep 19997.5%
Oct 19997.2%
Nov 19996.9%
Dec 19996.8%
Jan 20006.8%
Feb 20006.9%
Mar 20006.9%
Apr 20006.7%
May 20006.6%
Jun 20006.7%
Jul 20006.8%
Aug 20007.0%
Sep 20006.9%
Oct 20007.0%
Nov 20006.9%
Dec 20006.8%
Jan 20016.9%
Feb 20017.0%
Mar 20017.1%
Apr 20017.1%
May 20017.0%
Jun 20017.2%
Jul 20017.1%
Aug 20017.2%
Sep 20017.2%
Oct 20017.3%
Nov 20017.5%
Dec 20018.1%
Jan 20028.0%
Feb 20027.9%
Mar 20027.9%
Apr 20027.7%
May 20027.8%
Jun 20027.6%
Jul 20027.6%
Aug 20027.4%
Sep 20027.6%
Oct 20027.6%
Nov 20027.5%
Dec 20027.6%
Jan 20037.5%
Feb 20037.5%
Mar 20037.4%
Apr 20037.6%
May 20037.8%
Jun 20037.6%
Jul 20037.7%
Aug 20037.8%
Sep 20037.9%
Oct 20037.6%
Nov 20037.4%
Dec 20037.3%
Jan 20047.3%
Feb 20047.3%
Mar 20047.3%
Apr 20047.2%
May 20047.1%
Jun 20047.2%
Jul 20047.1%
Aug 20047.0%
Sep 20046.9%
Oct 20047.1%
Nov 20047.2%
Dec 20047.1%
Jan 20056.9%
Feb 20057.0%
Mar 20056.9%
Apr 20056.7%
May 20057.0%
Jun 20056.8%
Jul 20056.7%
Aug 20056.7%
Sep 20056.7%
Oct 20056.7%
Nov 20056.3%
Dec 20056.6%
Jan 20066.7%
Feb 20066.6%
Mar 20066.5%
Apr 20066.5%
May 20066.2%
Jun 20066.3%
Jul 20066.5%
Aug 20066.5%
Sep 20066.5%
Oct 20066.3%
Nov 20066.5%
Dec 20066.3%
Jan 20076.4%
Feb 20076.3%
Mar 20076.3%
Apr 20076.3%
May 20076.2%
Jun 20076.1%
Jul 20076.0%
Aug 20076.0%
Sep 20076.0%
Oct 20076.0%
Nov 20076.1%
Dec 20076.2%
Jan 20086.1%
Feb 20086.1%
Mar 20086.2%
Apr 20086.2%
May 20086.2%
Jun 20086.1%
Jul 20086.2%
Aug 20086.2%
Sep 20086.3%
Oct 20086.4%
Nov 20086.7%
Dec 20087.0%
Jan 20097.5%
Feb 20098.1%
Mar 20098.4%
Apr 20098.4%
May 20098.7%
Jun 20098.8%
Jul 20098.8%
Aug 20098.7%
Sep 20098.5%
Oct 20098.6%
Nov 20098.6%
Dec 20098.6%
Jan 20108.4%
Feb 20108.4%
Mar 20108.3%
Apr 20108.2%
May 20108.2%
Jun 20108.0%
Jul 20108.2%
Aug 20108.2%
Sep 20108.2%
Oct 20108.1%
Nov 20107.9%
Dec 20107.8%
Jan 20117.8%
Feb 20117.8%
Mar 20117.8%
Apr 20117.8%
May 20117.7%
Jun 20117.7%
Jul 20117.4%
Aug 20117.4%
Sep 20117.5%
Oct 20117.5%
Nov 20117.6%
Dec 20117.5%
Jan 20127.7%
Feb 20127.6%
Mar 20127.4%
Apr 20127.4%
May 20127.6%
Jun 20127.4%
Jul 20127.3%
Aug 20127.4%
Sep 20127.4%
Oct 20127.4%
Nov 20127.4%
Dec 20127.3%
Jan 20137.1%
Feb 20137.1%
Mar 20137.3%
Apr 20137.2%
May 20137.1%
Jun 20137.2%
Jul 20137.3%
Aug 20137.3%
Sep 20137.1%
Oct 20137.3%
Nov 20137.1%
Dec 20137.4%
Jan 20147.3%
Feb 20147.3%
Mar 20147.1%
Apr 20147.1%
May 20147.3%
Jun 20147.2%
Jul 20147.1%
Aug 20147.0%
Sep 20147.0%
Oct 20146.8%
Nov 20146.8%
Dec 20146.7%
Jan 20156.8%
Feb 20156.9%
Mar 20156.9%
Apr 20157.0%
May 20156.9%
Jun 20156.9%
Jul 20157.0%
Aug 20157.1%
Sep 20157.1%
Oct 20157.0%
Nov 20157.1%
Dec 20157.3%
Jan 20167.2%
Feb 20167.3%
Mar 20167.2%
Apr 20167.3%
May 20167.1%
Jun 20167.0%
Jul 20167.0%
Aug 20166.9%
Sep 20167.0%
Oct 20166.9%
Nov 20166.8%
Dec 20166.9%
Jan 20176.9%
Feb 20176.6%
Mar 20176.7%
Apr 20176.5%
May 20176.6%
Jun 20176.5%
Jul 20176.3%
Aug 20176.2%
Sep 20176.2%
Oct 20176.3%
Nov 20176.2%
Dec 20176.0%
Jan 20185.9%
Feb 20186.0%
Mar 20185.8%
Apr 20185.8%
May 20185.9%
Jun 20186.0%
Jul 20185.9%
Aug 20186.0%
Sep 20185.8%
Oct 20185.6%
Nov 20185.7%
Dec 20185.6%
Jan 20195.7%
Feb 20195.8%
Mar 20195.8%
Apr 20195.7%
May 20195.5%
Jun 20195.6%
Jul 20195.7%
Aug 20195.7%
Sep 20195.6%
Oct 20195.6%
Nov 20195.9%
Dec 20195.6%
Jan 20205.5%
Feb 20205.8%
Mar 20208.5%
Apr 202013.7%
May 202014.2%
Jun 202012.6%
Jul 202010.9%
Aug 202010.1%
Sep 20209.1%
Oct 20209.0%
Nov 20208.6%
Dec 20208.9%
Jan 20219.2%
Feb 20218.5%
Mar 20217.7%
Apr 20218.2%
May 20218.3%
Jun 20217.9%
Jul 20217.4%
Aug 20217.1%
Sep 20217.0%
Oct 20216.5%
Nov 20216.1%
Dec 20215.9%
Jan 20226.4%
Feb 20225.5%
Mar 20225.4%
Apr 20225.4%
May 20225.2%
Jun 20224.9%
Jul 20224.8%
Aug 20225.2%
Sep 20225.1%
Oct 20225.1%
Nov 20225.0%
Dec 20225.0%
Jan 20235.1%
Feb 20235.2%
Mar 20235.1%
Apr 20235.1%
May 20235.2%
Jun 20235.4%
Jul 20235.4%
Aug 20235.4%
Sep 20235.5%
Oct 20235.7%
Nov 20235.8%
Dec 20235.8%
Jan 20245.7%
Feb 20245.9%
Mar 20246.1%
Apr 20246.2%
May 20246.3%
Jun 20246.4%
Jul 20246.4%
Aug 20246.6%
Sep 20246.5%
Oct 20246.6%
Nov 20247.0%
Dec 20246.7%
Jan 20256.7%
Feb 20256.6%
Mar 20256.8%
Apr 20256.9%
May 20257.0%
Jun 20256.9%
Jul 20256.9%
Aug 20257.1%
Sep 20257.1%
Oct 20256.9%
Nov 20256.6%
Dec 20256.8%
Jan 20266.5%
Feb 20266.7%
Mar 20266.7%
Apr 20266.9%
May 20266.6%
Jun 20266.5%
Jul 20266.4%
Aug 20266.4%
Sep 20266.5%

Common mistakes

Section titled “Common mistakes”

Check yourself

Section titled “Check yourself”
1.

Mara lost her job six months ago. She wants work and could start tomorrow, but she stopped applying two months ago because she believes no suitable jobs exist in her town. How does the Labour Force Survey classify her?

2.

In a province, 2,300,000 people are employed, 200,000 are unemployed and 1,100,000 are not in the labour force. What is the unemployment rate, in percent?

3.

During a recession, 20,000 unemployed people stop looking for work because they think no jobs are available. Nothing else changes. What happens to the three rates?

Practise more questions on this topic

Sources

Section titled “Sources”

  1. Statistics Canada (2025). Guide to the Labour Force Survey, 2025. Catalogue no. 71-543-G. Sections 2 to 4: concepts, definitions, coverage and sample size. ↩ ↩2

  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor force statistics from the Current Population Survey: Concepts and definitions. ↩

  3. Goldin, C. (2006). The quiet revolution that transformed women’s employment, education, and family. American Economic Review, 96(2), 1 to 21. NBER working paper 11953. ↩

  4. Boppart, T. and Krusell, P. (2020). Labor supply in the past, present, and future: A balanced-growth perspective. Journal of Political Economy, 128(1), 118 to 157. NBER working paper 22215. ↩