The unemployment rate in Canada rose to 6.9% in April of 2026 from 6.7% in the previous month, overshooting expectations that it would remain unchanged at 6.7% to mark the highest jobless rate in six months. The number of unemployed people rose by 51.2 thousand from the previous month, or 3.4%, to 1.566 million. The increase was partially explained by a 33.5 thousand increase in the labor force as more Canadians entered the job market to look for employment, lifting the labor force participation rate by 0.1 percentage points to 65%. In turn, the proportion of the unemployed population that has been looking for work for six months or more was little changed at 22.5%, remaining above the long-term average of 17.1%. The monthly layoff rate was at 0.6%, in line with the pre-pandemic average. Meanwhile, net employment unexpectedly fell by 17.7 thousand, missing expectations of a 15 thousand gain.