Economic Outlook No 114 — Total employment in Canada

Canada: Economic Outlook No 114 — Total employment was 20.64 million in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
20.64 million
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
12th
of 35 countries
All-time high
20.64 million
in 2025
All-time low
5.97 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025

Economic Outlook No 114 — Total employment in Canada, 1960–2025

5.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M196019922025

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Analysis

In 2025, economic outlook no 114 — total employment in Canada stood at 20.64 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 15.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, economic outlook no 114 — total employment in Canada peaked at 20.64 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5.97 million, in 1960.

That places Canada 12th out of 35 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.

Economic Outlook No 114 — Total employment in Canada, year by year

Annual values for Economic Outlook No 114 — Total employment (labour force survey basis) in Canada, 1960 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1960 5.97 million
1961 6.05 million +1.5%
1962 6.23 million +2.8%
1963 6.37 million +2.4%
1964 6.61 million +3.7%
1965 6.86 million +3.8%
1966 7.24 million +5.5%
1967 7.45 million +2.9%
1968 7.59 million +1.9%
1969 7.83 million +3.2%
1970 7.92 million +1.1%
1971 8.10 million +2.3%
1972 8.34 million +3.0%
1973 8.76 million +5.0%
1974 9.12 million +4.2%
1975 9.28 million +1.7%
1976 9.75 million +5.1%
1977 9.92 million +1.7%
1978 10.22 million +3.1%
1979 10.67 million +4.4%
1980 10.98 million +2.9%
1981 11.30 million +3.0%
1982 10.95 million -3.1%
1983 11.02 million +0.7%
1984 11.30 million +2.5%
1985 11.66 million +3.1%
1986 12.00 million +3.0%
1987 12.33 million +2.7%
1988 12.71 million +3.1%
1989 13.00 million +2.2%
1990 13.08 million +0.7%
1991 12.86 million -1.7%
1992 12.73 million -1.0%
1993 12.80 million +0.5%
1994 13.06 million +2.1%
1995 13.30 million +1.8%
1996 13.42 million +0.9%
1997 13.70 million +2.1%
1998 14.05 million +2.5%
1999 14.41 million +2.6%
2000 14.77 million +2.5%
2001 14.94 million +1.2%
2002 15.28 million +2.3%
2003 15.65 million +2.4%
2004 15.92 million +1.7%
2005 16.13 million +1.3%
2006 16.42 million +1.8%
2007 16.76 million +2.1%
2008 16.99 million +1.4%
2009 16.76 million -1.4%
2010 16.98 million +1.4%
2011 17.25 million +1.6%
2012 17.48 million +1.4%
2013 17.70 million +1.3%
2014 17.77 million +0.4%
2015 17.91 million +0.7%
2016 18.01 million +0.6%
2017 18.40 million +2.1%
2018 18.73 million +1.8%
2019 19.11 million +2.1%
2020 18.05 million -5.6%
2021 18.95 million +5.0%
2022 19.70 million +4.0%
2023 20.16 million +2.4%
2024 20.35 million +0.9%
2025 20.64 million +1.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 6.82 million 5.97 million 7.83 million 10
1970s 9.21 million 7.92 million 10.67 million 10
1980s 11.73 million 10.95 million 13.00 million 10
1990s 13.34 million 12.73 million 14.41 million 10
2000s 15.96 million 14.77 million 16.99 million 10
2010s 17.94 million 16.98 million 19.11 million 10
2020s 19.64 million 18.05 million 20.64 million 6

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 9 Italy 24.00 million compare
  2. 10 Colombia 23.51 million compare
  3. 11 Spain 22.01 million compare
  4. 13 Peru 17.92 million compare
  5. 14 South Africa 16.91 million compare
  6. 15 Australia 14.32 million compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More economy & growth data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is economic outlook no 114 — total employment in Canada?
Economic outlook no 114 — total employment in Canada was 20.64 million in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest economic outlook no 114 — total employment recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 20.64 million in 2025.
What is the lowest economic outlook no 114 — total employment recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 5.97 million in 1960.
How does Canada rank for economic outlook no 114 — total employment?
Canada ranks 12th out of 35 countries with data for 2025.
Is economic outlook no 114 — total employment rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Canada data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Economic Outlook No 114 — Total employment (labour force survey basis). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Economic Outlook No 114 — Total employment in Canada. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/economic-outlook-no-114-total-employment-labour-force-survey-basis/canada/

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About this data

Indicator
Economic Outlook No 114 — Total employment (labour force survey basis)
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
46 places, 2,067 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

The OECD Economic Outlook presents the OECD’s analysis of the major global economic trends and prospects for the next two years. The Outlook puts forward a consistent set of projections for output, employment, government spending, prices and current balances based on a review of each member country and of the induced effect on each of them on international developments. EO114 Database inventory EO114 Last historical points OECD Economic Outlook website: https://www.oecd.org/economic-outlook/ Contact: eco.outlook@oecd.org