Ottawa-Gatineau adds 10,000 jobs as unemployment falls
The region's jobless rate dropped to 6.2% in May, bucking months of national slowdown. Construction led gains.
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Ottawa-Gatineau's unemployment rate fell to 6.2 per cent in May from 6.3 per cent in April, as the region added 10,000 jobs and its labour force grew by the same amount.
The gains arrived as Canada's economy rebounded with 88,000 new jobs nationally in May — the first significant increase since November 2025 after shedding 112,000 positions in the first four months of the year. Economists had expected a more modest 10,000-job gain nationally.
Growth was concentrated in full-time work and spread across industries. Construction led nationally with 27,000 new jobs, followed by information, culture and recreation, and transportation and warehousing. Manufacturing, which has been hit hard by tariffs, also posted gains.
Retail and wholesale trade took the heaviest hit, losing 35,000 positions. Average hourly wages rose 3 per cent in May, down from 4.5 per cent in April.
Young workers aged 15 to 24 saw improvement, adding 99,000 full-time positions and posting the first jobless-rate drop since January. Youth unemployment sits at 13.4 per cent — still above the pre-pandemic average of 10.8 per cent.
The report arrives ahead of the Bank of Canada's interest rate decision Wednesday and as economists debate whether recent economic weakness constitutes a recession.