Employment in Newfoundland and Labrador was 234,700 persons in January 2026, an increase of 4,900 persons, or 2.1%, compared to January 2025. Actual hours worked increased by 1.0%. The level of unemployment decreased by 5,800 persons, or 16.9%, and the unemployment rate decreased by 2.1 percentage points to 10.9%. This rate marks an all-time low for the province for the month of January.
The labour force in Newfoundland and Labrador was 263,300 in January 2026. This was a decrease of 900 persons, or 0.3% compared to January 2025, and was due to a decrease in the participation rate. The participation rate decreased by 0.6 percentage points to 55.7%, while the source population increased by 3,400 persons, or 0.7%.
There was an increase in part-time employment (+3,000 persons or 8.5%) and full-time employment (+1,800 persons or 0.9%) in January 2026 when compared to January 2025. On a gender basis, employment increased by 2,600 persons for the ‘Men+’ category (+2.3%) and increased by 2,200 persons for the ‘Women+’ category (+1.9%).
On an industry basis, employment in the services-producing sector increased by 7,000 persons (+3.7%) in January 2026, while employment in the goods-producing sector decreased by 2,200 persons (-5.4%). Within the services-producing sector, the largest employment gains were recorded in ‘Wholesale and retail trade’ (+2,500 persons), ‘Accommodation and food services’ (+2,400 persons), ‘Health care and social assistance’ (+1,900 persons) and ‘Other services’ (+1,600 persons). The largest employment decline was recorded in ‘Educational services’ (-1,900 persons). Within the goods-producing sector, the largest employment declines were recorded in ‘Manufacturing’ (-1,000 persons), ‘Agriculture’ (-500 persons) and ‘Construction’ (‑500 persons). There were no employment gains among other major categories within the goods-producing industries.
Employment increased in seven provinces in January 2026 compared to January 2025, with gains ranging from 0.6% for Quebec to 3.5% for Alberta. Employment declined in Nova Scotia (-0.3%) and Ontario (-0.4%) and was essentially flat in British Columbia.
| Labour Force Characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | |||
|
Indicator
|
Jan 2025
|
Jan 2026
|
Change
|
| Labour Force (000s) | 264.2 | 263.3 | -0.3% |
| Employment (000s) | 229.8 | 234.7 | 2.1% |
| Unemployment (000s) | 34.4 | 28.6 | -16.9% |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 13.0 | 10.9 | -2.1 ppts |
| Participation Rate (%) | 56.3 | 55.7 | -0.6 ppts |
| Employment Rate (%) | 48.9 | 49.6 | 0.7 ppts |
| ppts: percentage point change Percent and actual changes based on unrounded monthly averages Source: Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey; Economics Division, Department of Finance |
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Glossary terms:
Labour Force | Employed | Unemployed | Unemployment Rate | Participation Rate | Employment Rate
Statistical Reference: Statistics used in this analysis were current at the time of writing. For the latest in employment statistics visit the Newfoundland & Labrador Statistics Agency site and the release dates on the Statistics Canada site.