August 2026 Labour Market Snapshot
Monthly update on the labour market in Canada’s electricity sector
Labour market softens amid continued utilities sector losses
Canada’s labour market softened modestly in August following three consecutive months of gains. Employment declined by 42,000, while the unemployment rate held steady at 6.4%, its lowest level since July 2024. Utilities employment declined more sharply, with losses concentrated in Alberta and Ontario.
Latest measures for the utilities sector: August 2026
| Total employment | 156,600 |
| Monthly change in employment | −3.5% |
| Yearly change in employment | −4.6% |
| Average hourly wage | $55.41 |
About the snapshot
EHRC publishes a monthly labour market update focused on developments in Canada’s electricity sector. Drawing on Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey, this snapshot provides sector stakeholders with the latest developments on employment, unemployment, wages and emerging sector trends to support informed workforce and planning decisions.
For more information, visit ehrc.ca/labour-market-intelligence or contact us at [email protected].
Canada at a glance: Modest losses in August
Employment across Canada fell by 42,000 in August, with losses across most sectors. Manufacturing was the only sector to record a marked increase in employment (+22,000, +1.2%) and of those gains were in Ontario.
Even with those recent losses, most provinces have shown growth year-over-year, with Canada-wide employment levels up 1.0% over August 2025. A little more than half of Canadian sectors have grown in the past 12 months, with the average sector up 0.7% year-over-year (See Figure 1).
Figure 1: Year-over-year percentage change in employment in Canada by industry, seasonally adjusted
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0355-01
Utilities employment continues to decline
Utilities has seen the largest year-over-year percentage loss among industries by a considerable margin: Employment is 4.6% below its August 2025 level, double the next-largest decline of 2.3% in agriculture.
The sector posted its fifth straight month of declines in August, falling 3.5% month-over-month (See Figure 2).
Figure 2: Month-over-month percentage change in employment in Canada by industry, seasonally adjusted
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0355-02
While aggregate job losses in the utilities sector were large this month, the picture varied considerably across provinces. Only two provinces, Ontario and Alberta, posted a decline in utilities employment, but those losses more than offset the cumulative gains in all other provinces. These two provinces, along with B.C., have shown the most persistent declines since the sector started posting losses in April (See Figure 3).
Figure 3: Month-over-month changes in utilities employment by province, thousands
Source: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0355-02
What to watch in coming months
Utilities job losses appear to be becoming persistent, particularly in Ontario, Alberta and B.C., which have shed a combined 15,300 utilities jobs so far in 2026, a drop of -14.1%. With only two provinces recording losses in August, future releases should clarify whether these losses expand into a broader utility sector downturn, or if Ontario and Alberta reverse their trend as B.C. has done.