Ontario's October jobless rate rises, but Toronto's falls year on year

Statistics Canada said Ontario’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, which removes typical seasonal swings so that months can be compared, rose 0.3 percentage points to 7.3% in October, as more people searched for work. Whether Ontario’s job market worsened depends on the span: it did over the month, but not over the year.

Against a year earlier, Ontario’s rate was down 0.3 points and employment was little changed. On a three-month average, Ontario’s rate in October was 7.0%, down from 7.7% a year earlier. Toronto, meaning the city and its suburbs, saw a bigger fall: its three-month rate was 7.1%, down from 8.6%.

The two measures differ because a three-month figure averages several months, so one month’s jump counts for less. Job Bank said Ontario’s September rate was 7.0%, so October’s 7.3% is a one-month rise.

Nationally, the rate rose 0.2 points to 6.7%, still below the April 2026 peak of 6.9%. Among Canadians aged 15 to 24, the rate rose 0.7 points to 13.7%, a national figure, not an Ontario one.

Sources: Statistics Canada · Government of Canada Job Bank