Canadian Employment Unexpectedly Retreats -- Market Talk

0833 ET - Hiring in Canada came off the boil last month, a possible pause after the recent recovery or a sign of heightened jitters as trade tensions between Ottawa and Washington rise. Employment declined in August by 41,700, much weaker than the 15,000 gain economists anticipated and after a cumulative increase of roughly 181,000 from April to July. Compared with last year, employment was up by 216,500. With the labor force contracting by 36,800 and the participation rate dipping to 65%, the country's unemployment rate held steady at 6.4% after a half percentage point drop over the prior three months. Adding to disinflationary signals, the rise in average hourly wages for permanent employees slowed to 2% from 3% in July. (robb.stewart@wsj.com; @RobbMStewart)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 04, 2026 08:33 ET (12:33 GMT)